A Diffrent Kind of Hero
by sandlover
Summary: Gwen the elf maiden embarks on the journey of the Fellowship after her home is destroyed. She fights side by side with Aragorn in all the battles and often gets herself into trouble. And she falls in love (not with Legolas). COMPLETE
1. The Boring Intro

In the northern territory of Middle Earth, far above Rivendell, lie the Angmar Mountains. In these mountains live an old race of elves, known by some as the Angmar elves. They live in a large crater formed by a volcanic explosion that happened in the times of Feanor. Elves of Mirkwood and Lothlorien regarded these elves as primitive beings that were distantly related, not at all like them. They were miners who worked with precious metals who had a strong and somewhat cynical sense of humor. What completely baffled all the other elves of Middle Earth was that, horror of horrors, these elves were actually friends with dwarves! That was unheard of, to say the least.

The Angmar elves were lead by an old chief, Glindorin. This chief was not all that wise, so a council was developed to help the old coot rule (he was actually quite crazy for an elf and could drink anyone under the table). Many who remembered him (which were not many, as you will see later on) say that his best achievement was raising his daughter, Gwendolin (just Gwen in most circles). He basically raised her like the son that he never had, giving her the best weapons training he possibly could and teaching her to fight with her hands and feet, like a kung fu thing. She also acquired his cynical and sarcastic humor and a tiny bit of his craziness, only not as bad. This is actually her story, once I actually get to it. It is about her part in the Fellowship, and I know you are probably thinking, "Hey, there was no girl in the Fellowship!" I would like you to keep in mind that just because she got no mention whatsoever doesn't mean she wasn't there! Just kidding.

Yes, it does get more interesting


	2. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. Gwen is mine, though. And so is Niral, her horse. So you no steal, I no sue.

Gwen ran quickly to the stables. As she was saddling her horse, she thought Why_ doesn't he ever listen to me? Yes, I am completely aware that we have been safe in this crater for generations, but the Orcs are moving up here. Which is actually quite strange. We need to open that old escape tunnel just in case. But no, he doesn't want to take away troops to do so. His solution is to continue sending the troops out to fight the Orcs in the countryside._ _It is very odd that so many Orcs are moving up here. They never seem to stop. We loose many soldiers everyday, yet we seem to barely dent their numbers. Hmm, I wonder if old Sauron has anything to do with this?_

Gwen rode out of the stables and passed through the large gate the let people in and out of the city. _If we were to be attacked, we would have no way of escaping. Except up, which is only possible if you have wings, _she thought.

" Hey, Gwen, where are you going?" asked Yorum, the gatekeeper.

" Out for a skinny dip in the lake. Care to join me?" she asked, arching her eyebrow in amusement.

Yorum laughed, his rather large belly jiggling. " Ha, ha, ha, h- hack, hack, cough!" He took a swig of beer to quench his cough, which actually defeated the purpose. " You think your – cough! - so funny, Missy. When will you – cough! - be comin' back?"

" In a few hours. I just need some time to think. I'll be riding towards Carn Dum. Tell my father, would you? He is probably unconscious or still drinking with the dwarves. They brought more of that beer he loves so much. It is actually quite amusing to them to see how many drinks he can have before he passes out!"

" They brought more beer, eh! Well, maybe when my shift ends, I'll go up and join them!" he said with a wicked grin.

" You do that, Yorum." Gwen said, with a role of her eyes and a curt nod of her head.

The ride out was very peaceful once she got out of earshot of Yorum's raucous laughter. The mountains were beautiful. Below them lay the old Witch Realm of Angmar. Gwen didn't like to go down there very often. Besides, that was where all the Orcs were. She reached Carn Dum around noon. The wind blew her long, blonde hair in her face. Her shadow was completely gone and there was no shade, yet she was not hot. Her blue eyes eventually glazed over in the sleep of the elves. Her horse wandered away to graze. Neither knew that their lives would never be the same.

Back at the city, Yorum was still keeping the gate. He knew that Gwen would probably not return until late evening. He knew that something was troubling the girl, but he did not know what. Asking her would achieve nothing, for she did not like to burden others with her problems. His watch ended later and he waddled off to join the chief and the dwarves, muttering to himself, " Hope they have some drink left over, cough!!"

Dusk fell. A new watch was at the gate, a man named Horag. He saw movement coming up the mountain. It looked like the troops were returning!! He reached for his trumpet and signaled the guards inside to open the gate. The large doors swung open on their creaky hinges. Horag winced and covered his ears, muttering about how he would need to get the gates greased. Soon all the elves of Angmar were gathered in the center of the city to greet the returning soldiers. Glindorin was leaving the council hall, holding a summons from Lord Elrond telling him to come at once to Rivendell. He soon forgot it, however, in the excitement of the soldier's return. If only he had heeded Gwen's warning about attack. As soon as the soldiers were one hundred yards from the gate, they threw down their shields. Instead of Elven soldiers, Orcs of Mordor ran towards the gate. Horag screamed, " CLOSE THE GATES!!! CLOSE TH_!" His alarm was cut short by the arrow that smote out his life. The guards began to close the gate, but could not make it. The Orcs flooded into the city. The people had no way of escaping and only two troops were there to protect them. Within two hours, everybody in the city lay dead.

True to old Yorum's prediction, Gwen returned later that evening. But what she returned to was nothing like what she had left. She slowly walked her horse in between the gates, one that lay on the ground, and the other creaked eerily from one hinge. She gasped as she entered the city. Dead lay everywhere. She stumbled past the bodies of those she had known for ages. Eventually she found her father. He was dead, with the summons from Lord Elrond in his hand. She took it and read it, despite the tears that were welling up in her eyes. " That is where I must go", she said aloud to her horse, Niral. She went swiftly up to her room and grabbed her long curved sword, and two long, skinny daggers. Then she returned to her horse and, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she left the city and set out for Rivendell.

Okay, that was the sad part. Now, it is going to get fun!! Please review!


	3. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that has to do with Lord of the Rings (which I will now be calling LOTR because that is a whole lot to type). I did not own it in the last chapter, I don't own it in this chapter, and I still won't own it in the next chapter. The only things I own are Gwen and her horse, Niral. Nobody touch the horse!!!

Gwen sat on the top of Carn Dum, contemplating how she was going to reach Rivendell alive. " I don't want to have to go along the base of the mountains or into the old Witch realm. The only option then is to go the round about way," she said to her horse. That meant that she would ride along the north end of the Witch realm, and down between the North Downs and the Hills of Evendium. She would then reach the Shire, cross the Brandywine Bridge, and travel along the East Road until she reached Bree. Then it was a straight shot to Rivendell on the East – West road. " I wish that Lord Elrond had put WHEN he wanted father in Rivendell. I may be to late", she said to Niral. _What does he want anyway? He only visited once, and that was a couple thousand years ago. I wonder why he never came back? _she thought with an evil grin. Her father was not the easiest man to make friends with. He was always loud and half-drunk thanks to the dwarves. She only remembered one thing about Lord Elrond; he did not like dwarves. She didn't know what his problem was. In her eyes, it was perfectly normal to sit down to dinner with dwarves. What she did not realize, even to this day, was that other elves did not like dwarves. She continued planning and thinking as she rode Niral along the rim of the Witch realm.

" Are you sure that the Angmar Elves still exist, Gandalf?" questioned Lord Elrond.

" I have faith that at least one will come. And one will be all that we need. These elves have a large army and will give aid, should the need arise" replied Gandalf. They were both in Rivendell, on a balcony. Gandalf had just returned from Orthanc. Frodo had not yet arrived.

" I journeyed there long ago. They are VERY different from us. Are you sure that they will help?" Lord Elrond asked.

" My old friend, though they are different, you must remember that they are still elves. I am positive that they will help in any way possible."

The moment that Elrond and Gandalf were discussing this, Gwen was searching for a secure place to camp. She had seen an orc patrol earlier that day, but they could not see her because she had blended in with the shadows because she was dressed in black and Niral was black. It was not safe to camp out in the open or deeper into the Witch realm. She would have to find a place that would be easy to hide and would be a vantage point if she were attacked. Eventually she spotted an old hollow. She sat on her horse a short distance from it for a couple of hours to be sure that an orc patrol would not pass it. None did. She waited a few more moments, then swiftly rode into the hollow. " We will not be able to have a fire tonight," she spoke to the night air. Niral lay down besides her. Eventually, the two drifted off to sleep, unaware of the group of Orcs that were heading their way.

Lord Elrond was growing anxious. Although all the members of the council were not yet there, he was in serious doubt that an elf of Angmar would show up. He could not stall the council once all the members were present. He was not even sure that his messenger had made it to Angmar. It was a very dangerous road. Yet he had faith in Gandalf's word. He would wait.

Gwen was awakened quite rudely by something tickling her ear. She swiped at it and felt a sharp sting in her palm. Her head jerked up and she saw that the leering faces of Orcs surrounded her. They had taken her weapons and one was holding onto Niral, who was rearing and rolling her eyes in fright. Instantly she was on her feet, anger flashing in her eyes. _I can't believe that the first night I am away from home, I am ambushed. Well, there should be enough to make it fun, _she thought. Aloud, she said, " Give me back my weapons and let me go. Oh, and give me back my horse." The Orcs all thought that this was terribly funny. All they say was a slender elf maid clad in a black tunic with no weapons. " What'll you do if we don't, eh missy? Chop our heads off with a blade of grass? HAHAHA!!! As you can see, we have all your weapons, and you ain't got nothin'! Who's gonna protect you, princess?" said one of the Orcs. Moving faster than the Orcs could see, Gwen drop – kicked the orc with her sword, picked it up, and slew him with a single thrust. Turning to face the other Orcs, she said, with an evil grin, " Okay, who wants to go next?" An orc that was brandishing one of her daggers ran forwards. Gwen stuck the tip of her sword in the ground, kicked one of her legs up, and caught the orc under the chin with her boot. The orc's head snapped back, breaking his neck. Gwen reached over and picked up her dagger. " Hey, you!" she said to the Orc that was holding her other dagger " I will be taking that back. You have the choice of being alive or dead when I take it. So make your choice!" The orc lunged at her. She waited until he was within striking distance, then she deftly swung her sword out and took off his head. She then retrieved her other dagger. Looking at the Orcs, she said, " You just don't get it, do you? Can your pea – sized brains not comprehend that I want all my things back and I will kill whoever stands in my way?" she looked at them with one eyebrow raised. The Orcs looked at each other, trying to decide if that was a compliment or an insult. They thought for too long. Gwen killed the orc that was holding Niral, mounted her, and galloped off as fast as she could, leaving the Orcs standing there in shock. 


	4. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Nope, I still don't own Lord of the Rings. But Gwen and Niral are still mine. 

Upon reaching the outskirts of the Shire, Gwen realized that she had no idea how to reach the Brandywine Bridge. It was getting late, so she decided to ask directions from what appeared to be a child walking down the deserted road.

" Excuse me little one, but could you point me in the direction of the Brandywine Bridge? I am afraid that I am quite lost."

" Who are you calling little one, ye foul fiend?!"

Gwen blinked her eyes in surprise as she looked down into the face of an old man! " Oh, sir, I am so terribly sorry! Please forgive me, I have never been here before!" she stammered, flushing with embarrassment. 

" Oh, tis all right" he said, craning his neck up to see her face. " How about you come down off of that beast and come inside and have a warm drink?" he offered, seeing that she was quite cold. 

Gwen brightened at the idea. Dismounting Niral, she saw that she was a good two feet taller than the man was. He looked up at her, saying, " There, that's more like it. Now, what is your name?" 

" My name is Gwen."

" You may call me Mr. Gamgee. I see that you're of the elf kind. I can also see that you have a tale. There will be plenty of time for that once we reach my hole." Gwen looked at him quizzically. _These people live in holes?_ She thought to herself. Noticing her expression, he laughed and said, " You'll see." Soon they reached a door in the side of a hill. " You can put your horse to pasture over there," he said, pointing towards a field that already had two cows in it. Gwen did so and followed him into the hole. Once inside, she began to straighten up to her full height, but was almost knocked to the floor when her head struck the ceiling! " Oh, ho, you really have never been here before! Come and sit down!" said Mr. Gamgee, chuckling to himself as she rubbed her head. " Bell, where are ye, my dear?! Come, we have a visitor!" A jolly, round little hobbit woman walked into the room. " Oh, my, I can see that we do! Don't start telling us anything until I get some food down ye!" Soon Gwen was bombarded with so many plates of food that she didn't know what to do! " Oh, I can't possibly eat all of this!" she cried out. The hobbits looked at her in shock, then began to finish off the plates themselves. After dinner, the three of them gathered around the fire and Gwen told them everything. After her tale, Bell told her of one of their sons, Samwise, who had set off on a journey with their neighbor, Frodo. " Mayhap you will meet them on the road. Keep your eye out and watch for them." Mr. Gamgee then began telling cheerier stories that lifted Gwen's spirit and made her temporarily forget what had happened during the past two weeks. Suddenly she looked at the clock and exclaimed, " Oh my goodness, I must get to Bree tonight!" Mr. Gamgee asked why, and she told him that she needed a place to stay. He laughed, saying, " Do you think that after such stories that we would throw a young maid out onto the streets at this time of night? I insist that you stay here!" Gwen laughed, a twinkle in her eye as she replied, " Be careful who you call old, sir! I am nearly 2,100 years old!" The Gamgees stared at her in amazement as she continued, " Remember, I am an elf. I would be glad to stay the night with you. Thank you so much for letting me!" With that, they all went to sleep.

Gwen awoke to the lovely smells of breakfast. She trundled out of bed, pulled on her clothes, and entered the kitchen. " Good morning, deary!" Bell greeted her. " Good morning, Mrs. Gamgee!" Gwen replied. Again, Mrs., Gamgee put more in front of her than she could possibly stomach. Mr. Gamgee ate all her leftovers along with his own breakfast. Gwen stared at him in awe. He laughed, saying, " That is how a hobbit eats. I suspect that you probably want to set out for Bree. Come outside and I'll give you directions as you saddle your horse." Gwen followed him outside. " Now, listen closely, my girl. This road" he pointed to the road running past Hobbiton " will connect to the East road. You can't possibly miss it. You stay on the East road until you reach Bree. When you near the Brandywine Bridge, there will be a farm on the side of the road. Old Farmer Maggot lives there. His dogs will most likely be out. Don't be alarmed, just yell that Master Gamgee sent you, and he will give you directions from there." He then continued in a low voice, " I wanted to tell you, there have been strange happenings hereabouts lately. Strange black — robed men on black horses. Stay on the roads only if you must. Camp a little ways off from them. Don't cover your face or do anything strange. Folks are on edge. Be safe. Me and the missus are expecting you to come and see us again." He laughed to lighten the mood " Of course, you could probably take care of anything that crosses your path will all those blades you carry!" Gwen laughed along with him, walking back to the house. After many hugs and promises to visit again, Gwen took the travel bag full of food that Mrs. Gamgee made for her and departed. _I could stay her forever_ she thought. Sadly, she left her tiny oasis of comforted and again continued down the road.


	5. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: You all know the drill. Now, repeat: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I own Gwen, her horse Niral, and the drunk man at the bar. Nobody touch the drunk! 

" My faith in the Angmar Elves is fading" Elrond said to Gandalf. " Almost all the other council members have arrived and Frodo is recovering. I cannot put off the council much longer." Wait another three days," replied Gandalf, " I have faith that one will come." That one was on her way that very moment.

Gwen rode along the East road, taking in the pleasant scenery. She was nearing the Brandywine Bridge when she heard dogs barking. She spoke softly to Niral in elvish, telling her not to be afraid. Niral didn't listen. Three very large dogs ripped around the bend, running straight for Gwen. Niral reared up, throwing Gwen to the ground. She quickly leaped to her feet, knowing that if she remained on the ground the dogs would be upon her. She heard a man's voice and yelled, " I am a friend of Master Gamgee! Call off your dogs!" A hobbit appeared and yelled at the dogs to heel. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. " I am sorry, one can't be to careful. Who ARE you?" asked the man that Gwen presumed was Farmer Maggot. " I am Gwen. I was just trying to find the Brandywine Bridge so I could reach Bree when your dogs rushed up and frightened my horse" she said, glaring at Niral. " My name is Farmer Maggot. The bridge is just down this road. Good luck on your journey," he said, looking the girl up and down. " Thank you!" Gwen replied as she mounted Niral. As she rode down the lane, Farmer Maggot stood in the middle of the road, wondering what she was doing in the Shire and planning a visit to Master Gamgee.

Gwen had no trouble reaching Bree or finding an inn. She entered the Prancing Pony and asked the fat hobbit behind the counter for a room and a place to stable her horse. He was a jolly man who went by the name of Butterbur. After she went up to see her room and check on Niral, she sat down at a table in the common room to eat dinner. _This place is very different from Hobbiton, _she thought, _why does that man keep looking at me strangely? _As she was thinking this, the man walked over and sat down at her table. He smelled like beer. " Have a drink with me, sweetheart?" he said, staring at her intently. Gwen saw that many of his friends had come to join him, so she decided that it would be wise to avoid trouble. " No thank you" she replied. " Oh, come on now. I won't take no for an answer!" 

" No is the only answer you will ever get, so leave!" Gwen retorted angrily. She was getting rather annoyed. " Oh, we got us a mean one, eh boys?! Maybe she needs a little convincing!" he said, drawing a small knife out of his belt and smiling wickedly. Gwen just looked at it and smirked. " You're going to need a bigger knife" she coolly replied, pulling one of her daggers from where she had hidden it under the table. Gwen's blade was a foot long, and she knew that it would get her point across. She was right. The men disappeared as soon as they had appeared. All except for the man who had sat down. He pulled a long rapier from behind his back, saying, " I told ye, I don't take no for an answer!" _Oh, great. I knew that I should have brought my sword down!_ She thought in alarm. He came towards her and took a swing at her. His anger was fueled because he had been humiliated in front of his friends by a woman! Gwen gracefully parried the blow with her knife and threw a punch into his stomach, doubling him over. She then struck a swift blow to the back of his head with the hilt of her blade. He tumbled over, unconscious. Gwen quickly ran up to her room and locked the door. She could hear people yelling downstairs. " Well, that was a lovely dinner!" she said, frustrated with herself. _I could have handled that a bit more coolly. It is obvious that me being a woman makes me seem more vulnerable and susceptible. How could I defend myself if a group of men attacked me on the road with the same intentions?_ She looked in the mirror. She was tall and slender, but her figure was partly hidden by the small men's tunic that she wore and her cloak. _From a distance, I could almost be taken as a boy, were it not for my hair. _Then a thought hit her. Acting quickly, she pulled out one of her daggers. Grabbing a chunk of her blonde hair, she said aloud, " You will have to go!" With that, she cut it off. She continued working around her head, hacking at chunks. When she was done, her hair was a little above her shoulders. " I never liked my hair anyway!" she said to the empty room as she got ready for bed.

Gwen left Bree without event. She gazed back over her shoulder at her last glimpse of the Shire. _Such a lovely and peaceful place_ she thought as she sighed wistfully. She sighed sadly, then headed on down the road towards Rivendell, letting her thoughts wander back to the day she had spent with the Gamgees. It made her forget how alone she was in the world.


	6. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. But, as you probably all know, I own Gwen and her horse, Niral.

" I have decided to wait no longer to call the council meeting" stated Lord Elrond. " All the members are here and I see no reason to delay it any longer because a person who may not even exist has not yet arrived."

" Do as you will," replied Gandalf. " I can see no reason why you should wait any longer if you believe that no Angmar elf will be here." Elrond left the room to call the council together. Gandalf remained in the room, refusing to give up hope that at least one Angmar elf would appear.

Gwen rode the last stretch in peace. Nothing disturbed her or hindered her progress. She crossed at the Ford at the same time that the Council of Elrond began. She coaxed Niral into a gallop, though it was difficult because both rider and horse were exhausted. They had ridden all of the day before, through the night, and all that day. She was practically falling off her horse by the time she rode through the entrance to Rivendell. As she slid of her horse, an elf ran up. He had drawn his bow and arrow.

" Who are you and what are you doing her?!" he demanded without lowering his bow.

" Would you like to know, or are you going to shoot me first and ask questions later?" asked Gwen, cocking her eyebrow. The elf let his string go loose.

" Thank you, I think a lot clearer when I am not at the service end of an arrow. As to your first question, I am Gwendolin of Angmar. I am here because I received a summons from Lord Elrond to attend his council." Gwen handed him the summons.

" This summons is for Glindor, the king of Angmar. You are clearly not him," said the elf, looking at her rather quizzically.

" Glindor is my father and was unable to attend." _If only you knew,_ she thought.

The elf, seeing the pain in her eyes, agreed to let her in. " You are a bit late. The council has already been called. Go down this hall and to the left. You can't miss it."

" Thank you so much!" Gwen nodded and then sprinted down the hall. _Okay, it should be around here somewhere. Oh, there it is!_ She entered the courtyard, out of breath and ready to collapse. All talking in the courtyard ceased. Elrond glared up at her.

" Who are you?"

" That is the second time I have been asked that question in the last five minutes," Gwen remarked. " I am Gwendolin of Angmar." Everybody began muttering and whispering amongst themselves. Gwen blushed as she felt them staring at her._ I must look a state _she thought embarrassed. And she did. What the council saw was a young woman wearing a black tunic, dirty black boots, three blades, and short hair. That was enough to keep them talking for five minutes. Gandalf was very glad to see Gwen there. He had been to Angmar more than once and had enjoyed her father's company. He also knew that they had a large army that would be needed.

" Gwen, sit down my dear!" he said as he beckoned her to the seat next to him.

" Gandalf! I had no idea you would be here!" she hugged him as she sat down. _Thank goodness there is actually someone here that I know, _she thought happily. 

" Where is your father?" he questioned.

" Yes, where is he? The summons was for him, " seconded Elrond. Gwen's face paled visibly. She had really never needed to speak of her father's death to anybody. She was not yet ready, but continued anyway. " He is dead, along with the rest of my people." Gandalf shot a shocked look at Elrond, then turned to Gwen. " How, my child? When did this tragedy happen?" Gandalf asked gently.

" I don't know how, I wasn't there when it happened," Gwen said, her face a cold, numb mask of pain, " I wasn't there. I went out for a ride. I returned late at night. When I entered the city, all were dead. I found some dead Orcs, so my only guess is that Orcs entered the city and the people had no way of getting out. It must have been a massacre."

" But what of your army?" asked Elrond.

" Our army was down to nothing because the council kept sending them out to fight the Orcs. There is no army. The Angmar elves are dead. I am the last of them." No one made a sound for at least a minute. All the dwarves were staring at Gwen. They had heard talk of the elves of Angmar. Now they were actually in the company of one. 

" This is a hard blow to us all," Elrond finally said. " Gwen, you may go and rest." 

" With all due respect, my Lord, I wish to stay. Do not shun me from this meeting just because my army is dead." Gwen said as she met Lord Elrond's eyes. He sensed a determination in the girl so he agreed to let her stay. 

" Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Frodo stood and walked to the stone stand and set the Ring upon it. Gwen looked at him, thinking_ so this is Frodo Baggins! I wonder if Sam is here._ She sat there in thought until Boromir began going off on how it was folly to attempt to destroy the Ring. This aggravated Gwen. She leapt to her feet, saying " Well, what are we supposed to do? Sit here on our behinds while Sauron wipes out all of Middle Earth? We are the only hope for this world. If we do not try, who will?" she ended and sat down. " She speaks true!" said Aragorn. Boromir's pride was wounded at being told off by a woman, so he pounced upon Aragorn, saying " And what would a Ranger know of these matters?" Legolas leapt to his feet, saying, " This is no mere Ranger! He is Aragorn son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Boromir looks slightly more crestfallen. Both sit down. 

" The Ring MUST be destroyed!" proclaimed Elrond. Then the argument broke out on who was going to take the Ring. Gwen just sat there, thinking _this is such a typical guy thing!_ She knew more about the ring of Power than most thought. No way was she volunteering. 

She leaned over to Frodo and asked, " Do you happen to know a Samwise Gamgee?"

He looked at her quite surprised. " Why, yes! I know Sam! How do you?"

" Oh, when I was passing through the Shire, I stayed a night at his parent's house!" 

Frodo laughed, exclaiming, " He will be glad to know that! You must meet him afterwards!"

" I would be very glad to if he is anything like his parents!" returned Gwen. After a few more moments of arguing, Frodo stood up, saying, " I will take it!" The courtyard went very silent. " I will take the Ring to Mordor!" he continued. 

" Though, I do not know the way."

" I will accompany you Frodo Baggins!" said Gandalf. Others began volunteering.

" If by life or death I can protect you, then I will. You have my sword," said Aragorn.

" And you shall have my bow," said Legolas.

" And my axe!" stated Gimli.

" If it is the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done," volunteered Boromir.

" I am coming too!" declared Gwen. All eyes riveted on her. _Why do they keep doing that, _she wondered? 

" I must object to this," said Elrond.

Gwen glared at him, giving him her don't — you — dare — mess — with — me look as she said, " There is no way you can keep me here. I don't have a huge army to contribute, just myself. I want to help in any way that I can."

Elrond backed down and nodded. Suddenly a hobbit popped out of the bushes, declaring " Mr. Frodo isn't going anywhere without me!" 

" Clearly it is impossible to separate you two, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not" said Elrond Arching his eyebrow. _Ah so he does have a humorous side, _Gwen thought, _I had no idea a person's eyebrow could go up that high! _" Oi, we're going too!" yelled two more hobbits. " You would have to tie us up in a sack to keep us from going," they continued. 

" Ten companions. Very well then, you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" proclaimed Elrond.

Gwen hobbled out of the courtyard and ran into an elf woman. " Oh, I am so sorry," she muttered. The woman smiled and said," I am Arwen. Come. I have prepared a room for you." Gwen followed her down the hall. Once she was in the room, she dropped her weapons and fell upon the bed, asleep before she hit the bed.


	7. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Nope, Lord of the Rings is not mine. But Gwen is!!

Gwen stood on one of the large boulders that they had stopped by, mentally going over the last couple of weeks. It was all a blur of walking, stopping, camping, and the odd conversations she had with Aragorn. She admired him greatly and appreciated the way he always made sure that she was fairing well, which she always was. In a way, he was almost like a big brother. The walking was a nice break from riding Niral. At least she wasn't saddle sore! The hobbits were also very amusing, especially Pippin. Earlier that morning he was telling her of how, when he was very little, he got his head stuck in one of his father's socks and couldn't get out! Gwen had been in tears, she was laughing so hard! 

She strayed from her thoughts to listen to what Gimli was telling Gandalf.

" If anyone were to ask my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way around. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome!"

" No, Gimli, I would not go through the Mines unless I had no other choice," replied Gandalf. Gimli sat down to sulk. _Hmm, he looks like he could use a bit of cheering up,_ thought Gwen. She leapt down lightly besides him.

" I wouldn't mind going through Moria and seeing Balin. Besides, they make very good steak!" she said.

" You know Balin?" asked Gimli, his eyes widening.

" Know him? He would journey all the way into Angmar just to visit my father. He was the only person who could out drink father," she remarked. Gimli began laughing deeply, saying, " Yes, Balin always could hold his drink! HA HA HA!!" Gwen joined in with him and began telling him of the drinking contests he would have with her father. Soon, both had tears rolling down their eyes.

Aragorn was watching them from were he was sitting, chuckling to himself as he listened.

" Well Gandalf, you were right in bringing that girl! Look at her and Gimli, laughing like old friends!" 

" I told you so!" replied Gandalf.

Gwen was looking up into the sky when she noticed what appeared to be a flock of birds heading their direction. She ran to where Legolas was standing.

" Those birds don't look very nice," she muttered in his ear. He nodded slightly in agreement. By now, the others had noticed them. 

" What is that?" asked Boromir, climbing up from the ground where he had been fighting a mock battle with Merry and Pippin.

" Nothing, it is just a wisp of cloud," said Gimli.

" It is moving fast and against the wind," continued Boromir. Gwen slapped her hand to her forehead in disbelief. 

" It is a flock of birds!" she yelled.

" Curbin from Dunland!" shouted Legolas. Gwen almost toppled off the rock.

" Thank you for shouting that down my ear!" she yelled at him, very close to his own ear, might I add. He leaped off the rock in indignation at being yelled by an elf maid.

" Hide!" yelled Aragorn. Gwen crouched below an outcropping, thinking to herself, _wisp of cloud, eh Gimli? Not making dwarves look to smart there. Jeez, did Legolas have to yell down my ear like that?! Talk about temporarily deafening me. He hasn't spoken a word for a while, so that was quite unexpected. I think I wounded his pride, though, shouting back at him like that. Oh well, he will just have to get over it._ The birds passed and everybody got up out of their hiding places.

" Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched," proclaimed Gandalf.

" So what will we do?" asked Gwen.

" We will take the path of Caradhras!" declared Gandalf. _Great, and me without my cloak_, thought Gwen in frustration.

They walked up the snowy mountain.

" Y'know, if you ignore the freezing cold, it is actually quite lovely up here!" remarked Gwen. The others looked at her like she had lost her mind.

" Well, it is," she said in her defense. The others ignored her, but she did catch Legolas taking a good look about when he thought that she wasn't looking. Gwen didn't blame them for being surly. For Legolas and her, walking on the snow was easy. They didn't sink into it and flounder like the others did. Gwen decided to make use of herself and help Sam along with Bill. The pony was quite irritated that he was being drug up the mountain, so Gwen spoke to him softly in elvish to attempt to curb his temper. She looked up just in time to see Frodo rolling down the mountain!

" Now Frodo, as fun as that may be, now is not the time," she said, standing with her hands on her hips. Aragorn caught him. Frodo clutched at his neck, looking for the Ring. He could not find it and looked up in alarm to see Boromir looking at it.

" It is strange that such a big deal is made over so small a thing. So small." He rattled off.

" Boromir!" said Aragorn sharply, " Give the Ring to Frodo."

Boromir walked over and handed Frodo the Ring, which he grabbed. Then Boromir laughed and tousled Frodo's hair and continued walking. Gwen had seen Aragorn's hand on his sword hilt, and she didn't like it. The Ring was more dangerous than she thought. She made a mental note to stay away from it.

When they got farther up the mountain, a nasty storm picked up. Bill was floundering in the high drifts. Actually, so was everybody else, except Gwen and Legolas. She made her way to the front of the column where he was standing.

He looked at her and said, " Listen." Gwen did listen. She heard a voice rising above the howling of the wind.

" I hear it. What is it?" she asked him. 

He looked down at her and said, " I don't know." Then he turned back to Gandalf and said, " There is a foul voice on the air!"

" It's Saruman!" yelled Gandalf. Just as he did, a very large chunk of rock fell from above. Legolas grabbed Gwen and jerked her out of the rock's path.

" Huh, I guess I should stay away from the edge, eh?" she looked up at him, a smile on her face. A hint of a smile hovered about his lips as he nodded at her, amused by her light mannered remark. Gandalf shoved his way up to the front and began yelling back at the voice, causing a whole avalanche to come tumbling down upon them! Gwen pt her arms above her head. The last thing she saw was Legolas pulling Gandalf out of harms way. Then she was buried in snow. A moment later, she began digging herself out. They all popped out of the snow like rabbits! Gimli came up roaring.

Gwen looked at him, saying, " No offense old lad, but if you keep doing that you'll cause another avalanche!" She pulled herself up on top of the drifts and walked back to Sam to try to dig Bill out.

" Gandalf, he's trying to bring down the mountain! We must turn back!" yelled Aragorn. 

" No!!" Gandalf hollered back.

" If we cannot go over it, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria!" suggested Gimli.

Gandalf looked very uncertain. " Let the Ring bearer decide," he said with some hesitation.

Frodo looked up and said, " We will go through the Mines."

" So be it," said Gandalf. _Why does he sound so upset? I like Balin. Besides, it will be warmer down there. Frodo's feet were probably telling him the same thing! How bad could it possibly be, _thought Gwen. 


	8. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I do own Gwen, and she was free, I'll have you know!

The walk down the mountains went smoothly. Gwen remained near the back with Sam. Bill the pony was still a bit irritated. They began walking along this dark, frigid — looking lake. Gwen didn't like it at all.

" The walls of Moria," said Gimli, breaking the oppressive silence that hung over them. Gwen jumped about four feet when Frodo slipped and splashed the water with his foot. She reached out and grabbed his arm.

" I don't think a swim in that would be very pleasant," she whispered in his ear. To prevent it from happening again, she fell in line next to him. The Fellowship ended up on a ledge next to the mountain. Soon they reached the Doors of Durin. At first, Gwen could see nothing, but as the moon shone on the wall, the doors could be clearly seen. 

" Now all we have to do is say the password, and the doors will open," said Gandalf. He placed his staff on the door and said some things in Elvish. The doors didn't move. He tried a few more phrases, yet the door didn't budge.

" It's not working!" said Pippin.

" Maybe it would work better if I bashed your head against them, Master Peregrin!" yelled Gandalf. Gwen elbowed Pippin. He and Merry wandered to the edge of the pool. Gwen's sensitive elf ears picked up the howls of wolves. She stood upon a boulder to hear them better. Then she walked over to Aragorn.

" Aragorn, I hear wolves, and they are not very far away!" she said, her voice edged with fear. She had dealt with wolves before. They were not as fun as Orcs, being slightly smarter.

" I know, Legolas heard them a moment ago. Don't panic, Gandalf will get us in soon," he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. She seated herself on a rock next to him. A splash in the water nearly sent her toppling of the rock in fright. Merry and Pippin had begun chucking stones into the lake. Before she could move to stop them, Aragorn leaped up.

" Do not disturb the waters!" he said as he caught Pippin's arm. Legolas crept up behind Gwen.

" A bit jumpy now, are we?" he said, an amused smile on his face as she started. She scowled up at him.

" That isn't very nice!" she muttered at him. " Can you still hear them?"

" I heard one lone howl a moment ago, but nothing since," he replied.

" I saw one of them. They are getting closer. Gandalf had better start thinking fast," she said in alarm. Legolas remained standing behind her. She looked over at Aragorn, who was helping Sam unload Bill. _We won't be able to take him into the Mines,_ she thought sadly. She watched as Bill walked off. _He will find his way back to Rivendell safely,_ she thought, trying to make herself feel better. Frodo jumped up and stood in front of the doors.

" It's a riddle. Speak friend, and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?"

" _Mellon," _answered Gandalf. The doors began swinging outward. Gwen jumped up and patted Frodo on the shoulder. She did not hear the pool behind them rippling. The entire Fellowship entered Moria.

" Soon Master elf, you will experience the fabled hospitality of the dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!" Gwen looked back at Gimli, who was telling Legolas about Moria. She smiled and laughed lightly. 

" This is no Mine, it's a tomb!" said Boromir. Gwen's head jerked around to behold a sight that made her blood run cold. There were dead dwarves everywhere. 

" No, no, NOOO!" yelled Gimli.

" Legolas pulled an arrow from one of the carcasses. " Goblins!" he said, pulling out his bow and placing an arrow on it. Gwen pulled out her sword. 

" Out, everybody out!" shouted Aragorn as he began herding the hobbits towards the door. Gwen turned around in time to see Frodo jerked off his feet!

She ran towards him, shouting, " FRODO!" A slimy tentacle was wrapped around his ankle and a large, octopus — like creature was pulling him into the water. Gwen heard Sam yelling for Aragorn. Without a second thought, she flung herself into the water and began hacking at the creature, screaming, " Let him go, you slimy, disgusting creature!!" Aragorn and Boromir jumped in next to her, and together the succeeded in rescuing Frodo.

" Into the mines!" shouted Gandalf. They ran into the mines as the vile creature began pulling itself in after them. Rocks began falling everywhere, trapping them in darkness. Gwen was knocked off her feet as she tried to dodge a large boulder. She curled up into a ball to protect her head. The crashing of the rocks ceased. Strong arms hauled her upright. She looked up at Aragorn.

" Oops, took a bit of a tumble there, didn't I?" she said, grinning at him. 

" You could say that," he answered. Gandalf had by now lit the end of his staff.

" We now have only one choice. We must go through the Mines. Keep close! It is a for day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."


	9. Chapter 8

I got my first review and I was so thrilled to pieces that I decided to write another chapter!!!

DISCLAIMER: Y'know, I always forget to do this. And I always remember that I forgot when I am in the middle of uploading it! Yeah, it's a bummer. But, I remembered this time, so here it goes! I do not own Lord of the Rings. I own Gwen.

Gwen awoke to the feeling of cold stone against her cheek. She did not know how long she had been sleeping. It was hard to keep track of time in the dark. They had been journeying through the Mines for two days and had seen no sign of any living thing, good or evil. She pushed herself up off the ground.

" Oh, don't let me fall asleep like that again. If I'm lucky, I may be able to turn my head by the time we get out of here," she moaned as she rolled her neck. Boromir looked at her in amusement and laughed.

" What were we supposed to do? You just dropped like a stone as soon as we halted. Legolas tried to shift your head and almost got his hand cut off!" he said.

" Oh did he now?" Gwen said as she turned to face him.

" Yes, I did. You drew your knife so fast I had to jump backwards to get out of the way!" he exclaimed. They all laughed softly, yet it sounded like they were shouting because it echoed.

" Will you all kindly lower your tone, I am trying to think!" demanded Gandalf. All laughter ceased.

" How long have we been sitting here?" asked Gwen.

" Longer than I like," answered Aragorn.

" So Gandalf still hasn't figured out which of those three passages we are supposed to take?" she continued.

" No, not yet. But don't worry, he will." Gwen believed him. She grabbed an apple from a sack and began munching upon it. Just as she finished, Gandalf stood up and said, " Oh, it's this way!"

" He's remembered!" Merry said, happily.

" No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt Meriadoc, always trust your nose!" said Gandalf. The Fellowship followed him down the dark corridor. They emerged into a huge room.

" Welcome to the Great Realm of the Dwarf City of Dwarrowdelf!" said Gandalf. Gwen, along with the others, looked up in amazement. 

" Well, that's something you don't see everyday," she heard Sam say. 

" Wow!" was her all intelligent reply. Gimli interrupted their amazement.

" OH!" he cried as he ran off into a side room.

" Gimli!" yelled Gandalf. They all ran into the room behind Gimli, only to find him kneeling before a large coffin, bawling.

" Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then, it is as I feared," said Gandalf.

" Bwahaha!" cried Gimli.

" Aragorn, if he keeps crying like that, every beast that is down here will hear him!" Gwen whispered in Aragorn's ear. He walked over to Gimli and spoke to him. Gimli was quiet. Gandalf pulled a book out of the knarled hand of a dwarf skeleton and began reading some of the last passages.

" We cannot get out," he read, " they have taken the Bridge and the second hall. We cannot get out. Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. They are coming!" A great bang caused Gwen to unsheathe her knives. She looked about frantically and her eyes settled on Pippin, who was standing near a well. Apparently, he had been messing with an arrow that was sticking into a dwarf skeleton upon the rim of the well. He, being the foolish hobbit that he was, twisted the arrow, causing the head of the dwarf to tumble down the well, helmet and all. The rest of the dwarf followed suit, dragging the chain and bucket along with it. With every bang, Pippin winced and squeezed his eyes shut. The clangs and bangs echoed throughout the entire Mine. Soon they became more distant, then faded entirely. The entire Fellowship let out the breath that they had been holding. Gwen just about collapsed.

Gandalf began berating Pippin. " Next time, throw yourself in and rid us of your stupidity!" A loud boom echoed through the room. It was followed by a series of drumbeats.

" Oh no," said Gwen. Chilling screams and shrieks reached their ears, causing the hair upon Gwen's neck to stand straight up.

" Frodo, your sword!" yelled Sam. Frodo drew his sword, which was glowing.

" Orcs," said Legolas.

Aragorn thought fast, sending them all into action. " Quick, jam the doors!" Gwen and Legolas ran for a pile of discarded weapons near the door and began handing spears and axes to Boromir and Aragorn, who jammed them into the door handles.

" They have a cave troll," Boromir said with mock enthusiasm.

" Oh, fun," said Gwen. The four of them moved back from the door. Gwen looked back at the hobbits, which were standing behind Gandalf. Orcs began pounding on the door. Aragorn, Gwen, Boromir, and Legolas stood ready. Gwen had her daggers out. The door heaved once, then broke entirely. The orcs in front met the ready blades of the four. Gwen downed an orc with a swift kick to his stomach, then brought one of her blades down to finish the job. The orcs were driven back by the ferocious defense of the Fellowship. Gwen looked up to see the cave troll come crashing into the room. She took aim and threw one of her knives at it, hitting it in the shoulder. The cave troll pulled it out and threw it across the room, hitting an orc. Gwen's eyes widened in fear. Legolas shot it with an arrow, which did nothing but make it angrier.

" Oh, like that's going to work! He could pick his teeth with Aragorn's sword, for goodness sake! We need to find his vulnerable area!" she yelled at him. She turned to go retrieve her dagger. _Well, at least the troll is good for something. He keeps killing his own, _she thought as she pulled her knife out of the orc's body. She then went about her business, which was to kill as many orcs as possible while staying alive. The next few moments were all a blur. She saw Legolas jump on the troll and shoot it, which didn't work. He jumped down and practically landed on her.

" Our situation has not improved," she said to him.

" We need to strike at the neck!" he yelled above the screams of orcs.

Gwen looked at the troll, then back at him.

" The neck? How are we going to get close enough to strike the neck without getting ourselves killed?" she looked at him incredulously. 

" I just need one clear shot!" he yelled back at her.

" Okay, I'll watch your back, you fire away, savvy?" she asked. He nodded. They both turned to face the troll, only to see it stab Frodo! 

" Quick Legolas! Now!" she screamed. 

" I can't, he's moving around too much and the hobbits are in the way!" he replied. Gwen turned and looked at the hobbits stuck like glue on the cave troll's back. She watched as it flung Pippin down.

" Legolas, if you don't shoot it now, one of the hobbits will be killed!" she shouted. He took aim and let his arrow fly. It hit the cave troll in the throat. It moaned, as if trying to comprehend what had happened. Then it's eyes glazed over, and it fell to the ground like a log, flinging Merry from it's back. Gwen ran over to him and helped him up. She looked up and saw that the others were gathered around Frodo. 

" Oh, no,' she said. She had grown to like Frodo; he was a good friend. She wandered over and saw that he was sitting up!  
" I'm all right! I'm not hurt," he gasped. Gwen let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

" You had us all fooled for a second there, friend!" she said.

" You should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" exclaimed Aragorn.

" I think that there is more to this outfit than meets the eye," said Gandalf, leaning heavily on his staff. Frodo opened the top of his shirt. 

" Mithril!" breathed Gimli. Sure enough, Frodo was wearing a small mail tunic of mithril, which had saved his life.

" You are full of surprises, Master Baggins!" exclaimed Gimli. 

" Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news and all, but we need to get moving!" said Gwen as shrieks and yells echoed down the hall.

" To the bridge of Khazad — Dum!" yelled Gandalf.

Okay, that's that!!

SandraSmit19: thank you so much for reviewing! Yeah, I know it isn't all that original, but how can you be original with Lord of the Rings? Everybody has written everything! Which is actually quite frustrating, now that I think about it. I'm glad you like it, though! 

__


	10. Chapter 9

I was feeling ambitious, so I decided to write you all another chapter! 

DISCLAIMER: as much as I would enjoy owning Lord of the Rings, I don't and most likely never will. I do own Gwen, though. It is actually quite strange to have a character all to myself. I have never owned one before. Hmmm well, on with the story!

Pain was ripping through Gwen's lungs. She was already tired from the fighting. The only thing that drove her onwards were the hundreds of orcs that were right on her tail!!! She looked up to see orcs crawling out of a hole in the ceiling. _I have never seen orcs do that before! They look like a bunch of bugs, _she thought. She looked ahead to see orcs coming at them.

" We are going to be trapped!" she yelled. She was right. The orcs were all around them, trapping them in a circle.

" If we are going to go down, then we will go down fighting!" she yelled, drawing her sword. One of the orcs with huge bulbous eyes hissed at her.

" That will be the first one I kill," she said, pointing at the creature in disgust. The entire Fellowship stood ready, swords drawn, waiting for the orcs to attack. The attack never came. Instead, a loud gurgling roar came from the end of the hall, and orange light flooded in. All the orcs began screaming louder and swarming back up the columns.

" Ha!" laughed Gimli, as if he had scared them all away. Gwen felt fear squeeze her heart. She stood, unable to run. The light continued moving down the hall.

" What is this new devilry?" asked Boromir.

" A Balrog," answered Gandalf. Gwen drew her breath in, her eyes wide in fear. She had never seen a Balrog, but she had heard tales of them. Glancing up at Legolas, she could see that he, too, was afraid.

" A demon of the ancient world," continued Gandalf, " swords cannot stop this foe! Run!!"

Gwen's formerly immobile legs surged with new energy. The Fellowship ran towards a stairway. Boromir began to descend it, only to find that it stopped! He stood on the brink of a chasm, trying to regain his balance.

" Legolas, grab him!" yelled Gwen. Legolas did so, pulling Boromir out of danger. Gwen led the way down another stairway. She almost fell when Legolas swung down in front of her. Up ahead, she saw a gap in the stairway. They stopped at the edge of it. Without hesitation, Legolas leapt across the gap and landed upon the other side.

" Gandalf!" he cried, motioning Gandalf downwards. Gandalf jumped and landed safely on the other side.

" Quick Boromir! Take Merry and Pippin with you!" commanded Gwen. Boromir grabbed the two hobbits and jumped. He landed safely, but caused large chunks of stair to fall away on the other side.

" Go, Gwen!" yelled Aragorn.

" No, I'll help you push the others!" she yelled back at him. Rather than argue, he let her stay.

" Come on, Sam. You next!" commanded Aragorn. Both he and Gwen heaved the hobbit out from the stair and into the arms of Legolas. Without hesitation, Gwen reached for Gimli. He stopped her.

" Nobody tosses a dwarf," he said with great dignity. Gwen looked at Aragorn is disbelief as Gimli attempted to heave his bulk across the chasm. He landed on the very edge of the other stair. Legolas grabbed the only thing he could.

" Ah! Not the beard!" yelled Gimli, much to Gwen's amusement.

" If you had allowed us to throw you, that wouldn't have happened, so it serves you right!" she yelled at him.

" Gwen, now!" yelled Aragorn. Gwen readied herself to jump, but she was to late. The rock below her gave way and she gasped as she tumbled down into the abyss! 

The rock continued to crumble and give way. Another large boulder fell from the ceiling, blocking Aragorn and Frodo from going back. The entire stair began to wobble.

" Lean forward!" Aragorn yelled at Frodo. In doing so, they caused the two stairs to temporarily join, enabling Frodo and Aragorn to step onto the one holding the others. Aragorn turned back to see the entire stair fall. He began running to the edge, but Gandalf stopped him.

" Come, Aragorn, we can do nothing to help her. You must lead the others!" 

Reluctantly, Aragorn turned and ran to the bridge.

This chapter is short, but if I had added what is going to happen on with it, it would have been to long. Besides, I love keeping you all in suspense! MUWAHAHAHA!!!!! Ahem, sorry =)


	11. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings, darn it!! I guess I will just have to be happy owning Gwen.

I got another review from a friend from school (hi Mandi!) so I am writing this because I am so happy! I haven't even had breakfast yet! But I'm happy!

Gwen awoke to silence and pain. All traces of life running through her seemed to be gone. The fall had not killed her, yet she felt dead.

" Aragorn. Go," she mumbled before darkness clouded her vision and she passed out.

Slowly she came back to consciousness. She did not hurt quite so bad as she had when she first awoke. She pushed herself up off the ground, ignoring the pain shooting through her limbs.

" I have got to get out of here," she said to herself. " The question is, how?" Looking up, she saw that the stair had collapsed completely and was now a large pile of rubble. She was standing on the shelf that the other stair was on.

" Alright, first things first. Is anything broken?" she asked herself as she began flexing her arms and legs. Finding them all unbroken, she began to carefully prod her spine and ribs. She winced as her fingers touched her side.

" That one is definitely hurt, but it shouldn't cause to much trouble," she remarked at the broken rib. She left it alone and began to take in her surroundings. How was she going to get out? She began pacing.

" You should have jumped the first time, when Aragorn told you to. See what your stubbornness has gotten you in to? Now you are stuck down here with no way out, no rope, and a broken rib. The entire Fellowship is most likely gone, so there really is no hope of rescue AND there happens to be thousands of orcs lurking about, AND a possibility of the Balrog coming back," she went on berating herself. She circled about, taking in every possible exit routes. Her eyes rested on the rock pile. It didn't reach all the way to the top of the chasm, but it went up far enough for her to be able to climb the rest of the way out! She began to scramble up and over the rocks.

" This isn't so bad. When you get up, you will be able to find another stair and cross to the bridge," she said to herself, trying to calm her nerves and instill confidence. Upon reaching the top of the pile, she observed the wall. It went up for about one hundred feet. Gwen looked down at the dizzying drop.

" Stop looking down!!" she commanded herself. The wall had many footholds, so without any further hesitation, she began the ascent. 

" Just don't look down, don't look down," she repeated to herself. After what seemed like and eternity, her hands touched the top. Gingerly, she pulled her head over and looked for any orcs. Seeing none, she heaved herself up and over the edge. Her rib was hurting her. She lay there for a few moments to regain her breath, then stood up and looked at the bridge. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Half the bridge was broken off!

" Oh, why did they have to go and do that?" she moaned. There was no way she would be able to get out that way. She sat down hard and fought back tears of despair. Then she leapt to her feet and began walking back to the Great Hall, raking her brain for ideas. She began to think about food. Like the food that Mrs. Gamgee had made for her in the Shire. Food was a nice thing to think about. Gwen came to the realization that she had no food.

" As if things couldn't get any worse," she groaned. She walked along, staying close to the wall. Her clothes were black, so she blended in with the shadows nicely. Her thoughts began to wander once again. She began thinking of her home. She remembered the time that the cook had caught her pinching cookies and to escape her wrath, Gwen had jumped down the drainage shoot. Then, a thought struck Gwen. _THE DRAINAGE SHOOT!!!_ There had to be one in the dwarve's kitchen!! It would empty outside! Quickly, she began searching for the kitchens. _They must be off the Hall_, she thought. Hours went by as she searched, slipping like a phantom from one room to the next. Her hope began failing. She stumbled into one last room and began jumping about happily. It was the kitchen!!! Quickly, she began moving along the walls, searching for light, air currents, anything that would take her outside. It was difficult because she had no light. After about two hours of searching, she collapsed on the ground. Sleep soon began to take over. A warm breeze was blowing across her face, making her drowsy. _Wait, a breeze!_ Her eyes snapped open and she made her way quickly to the wall. There was a crack! She lay on her back and began pushing with her legs. The rock moved away a bit and fell down the mountainside. She whipped around and peered out. One star shone in on her. She began pushing more. In moments, she had a space large enough to squeeze her head out of. _This is going to take forever,_ she thought in exasperation. She looked about. Her eyes fell on an old iron stove pipe. She grabbed it and began hitting the wall with it. The pipe was very effective. Half an hour later, she could squeeze out. She turned around to set the pipe down and froze and stared. One hundred orcs stared back at her! Thinking fast, she threw herself sideways through the shoot. The orcs began screeching and pushing each other through after her. Gwen rolled down the side of the mountain.

" What were you thinking?! A pipe, slamming into the wall! Of course they heard it!!" she yelled at herself as she slid. Rocks beat her already battered body. She didn't have far to fall before she reached the bottom. She looked up and saw fifty orcs coming after her. Gwen did the only thing she could do. She ran for her life! Minutes slipped by without her noticing. Soon, all she could hear was her ragged breathing. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the orcs had abandoned the chase. She kept on running, not knowing where she was going. A large door loomed up on her left side. _That must be where the others came out. They probably made for those trees over there, _she thought. Weariness overcame her will to run and she began to walk. Soon she was on the fringes of the forest. The sun was rising and she turned to soak up its warmth. When she turned back around, an arrow was in her face. She jumped.

" Why do people keep sneaking up on me like that! Look, I am looking for my friends. There are four hobbits, they are about this tall," she put her hand about four feet of the ground, " a blonde elf with long hair, two men, and an old wizard. Have they passed by here by any chance?" she asked an elf. By now most had lowered their bows. One elf stepped forward.

" I am Haldir. Your friends are here. Follow me, I will take you to them."

" Where am I?" asked Gwen.

" You are in Lothlorien," he answered, looking at her as if she should have already known. She made a face at his back as she followed him.

" What is your name?" asked Haldir.

" Gwen," she answered. They traveled on in silence. Gwen looked about her. Lothlorien was beautiful. She looked up after a while and saw that the other elves had disappeared, leaving her with Haldir. He began walking up a stair.

" Wait here," he commanded her. She did as she was told. After a while, Haldir came back down. 

" The Lady told me to take you directly to your companions. Follow me." Gwen followed him, excitement and joy welling up in her heart. He led her down a bank along the side of a river. Up ahead, Gwen saw Legolas standing near the bank. Any shred of self-control she had left deserted her. She shot past Haldir.

" LEGOLAS!!!" she screamed. His head whipped around. 

" Aragorn!" he yelled, pointing at Gwen. Aragorn came running out just as Gwen crashed into Legolas. The entire Fellowship was instantly upon her, bombarding her with questions.

" How did you get out?" asked Boromir.

" Were you scared?" asked Pippin.

" How –" began Merry before Aragorn cut him off.

" One at a time," he said. Gwen sat down with some food and told them the entire story.

" You all didn't help me by chopping off half the Bridge! How did that happen?" she asked. Then Aragorn told her their story. Gwen was in tears by the end.

" So Gandalf is gone?" she asked, not wanting to believe it. Aragorn nodded in reply. She began to stand up, but a stabbing shoot of pain from her rib brought her back down.

" Agh!" she cried out. Legolas lifted her up and laid her down on one of the beds.

" Leave her alone, she is exhausted! Aragorn, see if you can patch her up. It looks like she has a broken rib," he said. 

Gwen suddenly felt very tired. She sank into the blankets and let the soothing waves of sleep over come her.

Yeah, you were probably all wondering how I was going to get Gwen out, huh? Admit it! Just kidding. For a while, I didn't know how I was going to get her out myself. Well, it worked out. 

Mandi, you reviewed!!! I am so happy! Now I have 2 reviews! Not 1, but 2! 

And now I am going to go eat my breakfast and read the funny papers!!


	12. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: what would I do with Lord of the Rings if I owned it? Yeah, I could run around telling people, but then what? Make another movie? Yeah right! But, I don't own Lord of the Rings. I own Gwen. Hey, maybe I could make a movie about her! Just kidding. Kinda.

Gwen woke up feeling refreshed. She stretched leisurely and was almost ready to doze off again when something tickled her nose. Very slowly she woke up, keeping still so the culprits wouldn't know that she was awake. Merry and Pippin were standing over her with a feather, laughing to themselves.

" Merry, hee hee hee, get her in the mouth!" said Pippin. Gwen felt the feather move down to her mouth. Pippin snorted and covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

" Hush, Pippin, you are going to wake her up!" whispered Merry. He began moving the feather up to her nose again. Gwen's hands shot out and grabbed their wrists.

" Naughty little hobbits, waking me from my sleep. Do you know what I did to a little elf boy who did that to me once?" she asked them, speaking lowly with one eyebrow arched. The hobbits shook their heads, their eyes wide.

" I hung him upside down from a cliff edge until all the blood rushed to his head, then I took him down and locked him in the dungeons for two days with only a jug of water and loaf of bread. Now, I will let you go and count to five, and if you are not out of my sight when I finish counting, I will dunk you in the river and eat your rations for the next week," she said menacingly. She let go of their wrists and began to count.

" One.," by the time she got to five, the hobbits were out of sight. She could hear them.

" Hurry, Merry!! She might be chasing us!"

" Quick, Pippin, I hear her coming!" Gwen's head came up as Boromir, Aragorn, and Gimli let out the laughter they had been holding in.

" Oh, ho, you should have seen their faces when you mentioned eating their rations!! Ha ha ha ha!!" gasped Boromir.

" Ha ha ha, hang the boy from a cliff until the blood rushed to his head, oh ho, that was a good one!!" laughed Gimli.

" I was serious," said Gwen with a straight face. All laughter ceased as they looked at her.

" You mean you" trailed off Gimli. Gwen could stand it no longer. She burst into hysterical laughter.

" You should, ha ha ha ha, have seen YOUR faces! Oh, ho!!" she gasped at them. The three looked at each other, then jumped up and ran at Gwen.  
" NO! You villains! Get away from me!! YAGH!!" she shrieked as they pulled her out of her bed and began dragging her towards the river, tickling her as they went.

" HEY!!" yelled Legolas. All tickling and dragging ceased and they turned to look at him. Merry and Pippin peered out from behind him.

" These two interrupted my thinking in the woods. Do you four have any idea what they are so terrified of?" he asked. Remembering what had happened sent the four back into hysterics again.

" Did I miss something here?" asked Legolas, staring at the four seizing bodies on the ground. Boromir gasped out the story the best he could.

" Merry.Pippin aha ha ha!..tickling Gwen's nose oh ho ho!. she caught them, threatened them hee hee!.ran off screaming!!!" Boromir lost himself in a fit of giggles. Legolas gave him a blank stare. After a few minutes, they recovered themselves and Aragorn told him what had happened.

" I always seem to miss the good stuff!" he moaned. Haldir walked up.

" Lady Galadriel wishes to see you now. Your boats have been made ready," he said. Gwen stood up and followed him. The walked into a glade and saw Galadriel standing there. She began handing out gifts. Gwen shifted uncomfortably. She had heard tales of this lady. _What does she have to say to me _she wondered. Galadriel reached her and looked into her eyes. Gwen stared back.

__

So, the one that was lost is found. I have heard much of you, Gwendolin of Angmar. You bear much sorrow for one so young and happy. Don't let sadness weigh you down. It is good to cry, just don't cry alone. 

By now, Gwen was getting seriously freaked out._ How does she know that I cry_ she thought, _and how is she in my head?_

" Here is my gift to you," said Galadriel, handing Gwen a mithril chain with a jet-black stone in the shape of a teardrop on it, which fit into the center of Gwen's palm.

" It is beautiful, yet strong and durable, just like you," Galadriel said with a smile.

"Thank you, Milady," was all Gwen could manage to say. She began to bow, but Galadriel pulled her into a hug.

" You are so much like your mother," she said in Gwen's ear. Gwen looked at her in pure shock.

" You knew my mother?" she asked.

" Your mother came from here. We were good friends. This necklace was her's," continued Galadriel as she put the necklace around Gwen's neck, " so you see, now wherever you go, your mother will go with you." Gwen could not speak. Galadriel smiled at her in understanding and went to address Aragorn.

After Galadriel said good bye, the Fellowship headed to the boats.

" Well, boats will be a nice change," said Gwen.

" Yes, my feet could use a rest," said Gimli. Legolas was loading packs into one of the boats. 

" Here, Gwen ride with us," said Gimli, " all the other boats have three."  
" Okay Gimli!" said Gwen as she hopped into the boat. Legolas got in after her and began rowing down the river.

The going was very easy. The water was smooth and the air smelled like trees and flowers. Gwen jerked off her boots and rolled up her leggings. Swinging her legs over the side, she dabbled her feet into the clear water. She drifted off to sleep with the sound of rushing water in her ears.

After two days of rowing, Gwen was ready to walk again. Her legs were beginning to cramp from sitting for so long. She sat, running her hand over the black stone. Legolas was getting bored, so he decided to bother Gwen.

" Now, Gwen, tell me. Did you cut your hair like that for a reason, or was it actually how the elves in Angmar wore it?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

" I cut it this way so drunk men would stop hitting on me," she answered, slightly annoyed.

" They must have been pretty drunk to hit on you," he said. Gimli perked his ears up, wanting to hear what Gwen had to say to that remark.

" What is that supposed to mean?!" she questioned sharply.

" Just that no other elf in his right mind would hit on you," he said innocently.

" Oh, Gwen, are you going to take that from the likes of him?" asked Gimli, goading her on.

" The only woman who would ever hit on you would have to be blind because any woman with eyes would be able to see how arrogant and self centered you are!" she replied sharply.

" Come on, Legolas, get her!" said Gimli.

" I don't see why Gandalf wanted to bring you in the first place. You just torment the hobbits and eat all the food!" he said to her.

" Oh, look who is talking. I bet that you weren't thinking when the hobbits interrupted you in the woods. You were probably braiding your hair!" she retorted.

" Good one, Gwen! Wait, you were braiding your hair?" asked Gimli, all wide eyed.

" No, I wasn't!" he said hotly.

" Whatever it was you were doing, it surely wasn't thinking because your pea – sized brain can't stand the strain!" she said, wondering how she got in this fight in the first place.

" Ouch! Legolas, that was a direct assault to your intelligence. Are you going to take that?" asked Gimli.

" Whose side are you on, Gimli?" asked Legolas.

" Well, I had my money on you, but she's got a lot of rage! Now, go on!" replied Gimli.

" At least my brain functions enough to keep me from falling of stairs and into a small canyon!" he shouted with indignance.

" Gwen, are you going to – cough, cough, splutter!" she cut Gimli off with a well - aimed splash to the mouth. She glared back at Legolas.

" You half witted, addle brained, egotistical, stuck up, sorry excuse for an elf!!! Why don't you take that paddle and shove it up your - " 

" Gwen, look! The Argonath!" yelled Aragorn. Her battle of insults forgotten, Gwen looked up at the colossal figures carved into the cliff side.

" Wow! The fingernail on his baby toe is roughly the size of my head," she observed. They rowed past and into a large lake. Aragorn steered them towards the shore.

" We will camp here and cross over at night fall," he said. Sam set about making some food. Gwen stood on edge. She didn't want to stay there.

" We should cross now," said Legolas.

" No, orcs patrol the Eastern Shore," replied Aragorn.

" It is not the eastern that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind." 

" I agree. We must make haste," chimed in Gwen.

" Where's Frodo?" asked Merry. Sam started and began looking around frantically. His eyes settled on Boromir's stuff.

" Boromir," he whispered, " Fan out and look for them!"

I want ot thank KitsuneRoses and Heaven - Sent515 for reviewing! I am going to be smiling like a maniac for the next few days because of you! Now we are going to get to the parts that I like, the Two Towers! 


	13. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: my allowance is not big enough for me to own Lord of the Rings. I can afford Gwen though, because she was free. So she is mine.

__

Why did Frodo just have to go and disappear like that? And where did Boromir go? You don't just wander off like that, thought Gwen, slightly irritated as she tramped through the forest. She did not like that place at all and didn't exactly feel like wandering around looking for them._ You would think that Frodo, having the fate of Middle Earth and all weighing on his shoulders, would try to stay close and try to avoid getting himself lost or killed. Boromir I can understand, but not Frodo,_ Gwen thought. She stopped behind a tree to rest. Her legs still felt all Jell-O – y because of sitting in the boat for so long. A branch snapped to her left and she jumped. 

" Frodo, if that is you, you had better get – uh oh," she said. It wasn't Frodo, or Boromir. It was a large and scary looking orc! 

" Oh, not again!" she yelled as she pulled out her sword, ready to take the orc out. Ten more orcs came into view.

" I'm in trouble," she said to herself. Without a second thought, she began running. A little to her left she could hear the sound of battle. She burst into the clearing in time to see an orc sneak up on Legolas.

" Legolas, move yourself!" she yelled as she launched one of her daggers at the orc, snuffing out it's life. Legolas gave her a nod and continued fighting. Gwen went about with her sword, killing the orcs. One came at her from the side. She kicked it in the jaw with her foot, then ran it through. As she was turning to face another orc, she felt a ribbon of hot, searing pain rip down her back. She screamed and turned on the orc, attacking it with all her strength. Gwen didn't like getting hurt, so she was really quite furious. She swung her sword to the side, knocking the orc's head neatly from his shoulders.

" Stupid orc, you ripped my new cloak!!" se yelled angrily at the dead orc angrily. She then stalked off to vent her fury on other orcs. She strolled up next to Legolas who was sniping with his bow and arrow.

" That's a good shot! Hey, that one has Aragorn pinned to a tree! Take him out!" she said. Legolas complied. A loud horn blast echoed through the trees.

Legolas turned. " The Horn of Gondor!"

Boromir!" gasped Aragorn as he shoved past them and began running down the hill towards the horn. Gwen went to follow him but was cut off by another orc. After a few more minutes of fighting, all the orcs were either dead or retreating. Gwen dropped her sword wearily and turned to try to see her back. It was rather difficult and just made it hurt more.

" Gwen, come on!" beckoned Legolas, motioning her to follow him down the hill. She followed him without a word, staggering in pain._ Why do I always get hurt_, she thought in irritation. She caught up with Legolas, who had stopped and was staring.

" What are you – oh no," she said as she saw what was before her. Aragorn was sitting on the ground next to a very still Boromir. Gwen let out a strangled sob and buried her face in Legolas' arm. She heard Gimli clank up. He walked over and put an arm on her shoulder. She brought her face up to see Aragorn lift Boromir's body up and begin carrying it up the hill towards the boats. Gwen followed, promising herself that when the quest was over she would have a good long cry. But now was not the time. They placed Boromir in one of the boats, along with all his weapons and the weapons of the orcs he killed and sent him over the falls. The loss of Merry and Pippin lay heavy on Gwen's heart. She was also worried about Frodo and Sam, who had gone off to Mordor alone. Legolas began pushing the other boat into the water.

" Come on, Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore," he said, all ready to follow them. The other three just looked at him.

" So you mean not to follow them?" he questioned Aragorn.

" Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," answered Aragorn.

" The Fellowship has failed," moaned Gimli in despair. Aragorn placed a hand on his shoulder.

" Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to the attollment of death. Not while we still draw breath," he continued, putting his other hand on Legolas' shoulder. Gwen joined in between Gimli and Legolas.

" Aragorn is right. We can't abandon Merry and Pippin. Who knows when the orcs will feed them again," she said.

" Leave all that can be spared! Let us hunt some orc!" said Aragorn, very dangerously, thrusting his knife into it's scabbard.

" Wait! " yelled Gwen, " can someone please look at my back? It is hurting very badly." Aragorn walked over and carefully pulled away her ripped cloak. He drew his breath in sharply and motioned Legolas over. The orcs sword had rent a long cut down the right side of her back. Aragorn and Legolas looked at each other. Although it had stopped bleeding, the cut went deep.

" The best that I can do is stitch it up," muttered Aragorn. 

" Then do what you must," she said. So Aragorn set about his gruesome chore. Gwen put a stone in her mouth to bite so she wouldn't cry out or clench her teeth down too hard. After half an hour, Aragorn was done.

" There, that should hold. Tell me if it starts to bleed or if the stitches break loose," he told her. Gwen nodded, her face pale from the pain. He gave her a pat on the shoulder and turned to Legolas and Gimli, out of her earshot.

" I didn't tell her how serious her wound is. If it bleeds too much or becomes infected, I fear that it will not go well for her. She can run, but keep a close eye on her, see that she doesn't stumble," Aragorn said to the two.

" Aye, I'll watch her like a hawk," said Gimli.

" As will I," responded Legolas.

" Good. Now let us be off! Come, Gwen!" he said. With that, the four of them ran off into the woods.

And that is that! Now for my reviewers!

SandraSmit19: I am sure that you are not the only person is who is thinking, " What on earth was she thinking?" That was just my warped sense of humor at work. I actually thought that it was quite funny! But now that I really think about it, I can see where you are coming from. But I am glad that despite the Legolas Thing, you still like my story! 


	14. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I own Gwen and her new Rohan horse, Skeet. Whew! Glad I got that off my chest. Now, on with the story!!

Gwen never liked running. Riding a horse was great, as was walking. She could walk for miles and never complain. But Aragorn and Legolas were not walking along at a nice leisurely pace. They were running. 

" Gimli! Gwen! Come on, we are gaining on them!" shouted Legolas as he shot off ahead of them.

" Don't they both just make you sick?" Gwen panted to Gimli.

" I have no idea how they do it. Just keep breathing, that's the trick," he replied to the best of his ability. Gwen did keep breathing, and every breath she drew seemed like the last. Her back was hurting a bit and her feet were killing her. Yet she continued on doggedly, thinking about Merry and Pippin. _What are we going to do when we catch up to the orcs? They have far greater numbers than we do and the hobbits will probably be guarded. Aragorn had better think of something, _she thought. Aragorn and Legolas stopped up ahead and looked down on the ground. She picked up her speed a bit to see what was going on. As she drew near, she saw that Aragorn was holding one of the Elven clasps that held the cloak at the throat.

" Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," he said as he began walking.

" They may yet be still alive," said Legolas, picking up the pace once more.

" A half a days march!" said Aragorn as he began to run.

" They had better be still alive for what we are going through to get to them," Gwen muttered darkly.

" Come on Gimli!" yelled Legolas. Gimli rolled down a small hill with a roar.

" That's the way to do it Gimli!" laughed Gwen.

" I'm wasted on cross country. We dwarves are sprinters, very perilous at short distances!" he told her. She rolled her eyes playfully and leapt aside to avoid his equally playful swipe. 

" Come on, I bet you I can reach Legolas before you can!" she challenged him as she sprinted off.

" Ah! Never!" he yelled back as he chased after her. She laughed as they both ran neck in neck for Legolas. With a short burst of speed Gwen passed Legolas a split second before Gimli. She jumped into the air and executed a neat little twirl at her hard won victory. Legolas looked at her with one eyebrow arched. Gwen ignored him and continued running. They reached the crest of a hill and Aragorn veered to the right and hid behind a little grassy hill. Gwen heard the sound of horses as she followed him. She turned and grabbed Gimli down and out of sight. All four of them crouched in the grass and watched as a large company of horsemen rode past. Just as the last of the horses past by, Aragorn rose to his feet.

" Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" he yelled. The company turned as one and ran back towards them.

" Aragorn, I don't really know if that was the smartest thing to do," Gwen said nervously. Within seconds, they were surrounded on all sides and spears were pointed in their faces.

" Definitely not the best idea," she muttered to herself. A man who looked like the leader rode up.

" What business do two elves, a man, and a dwarf have in the Rider Mark?! Speak quickly!" he demanded.

" Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give you mine!" said Gimli. Gwen sighed and put her hand on her forehead. The man got off his horse.

" I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground!" he said in distaste. Legolas had an arrow on his bow before anyone could blink.

" You would die before your stroke fell!" he said angrily. Gwen was getting quite irritated with the whole thing. She placed herself between the man and Legolas. Looking up at the man boldly, she said, " Would you prefer to kill us now and ask questions later, or would you like to know the entire story?! You speak quickly and get these spears out of my face before I really let you have it! I have not run all this way to be insulted and have my friends threatened by the likes of you!" Dead silence filled the air. Gwen's sensitive ears picked up a snigger from the back of the company. Aragorn pushed Legolas' bow down and turned to the man. Gwen stepped back.

" I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and Gwen of Angmar. We are friends of Rohan and of King Theoden, " he said to ease the tension. 

" Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin," the man said as he dismounted his horse and took off his helmet, " Saruman has poisoned his mind and lay claim to Rohan. The white wizard is cunning! They say that he walks around as an old man, cloaked and hooded. And his spies always slip through our nets," he continued, looking at Legolas suspiciously. 

" We are not spies. We are tracking a party of Uruk Hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive," explained Aragorn. 

" We slaughtered the Uruk during the night," replied the man, whom Gwen had guessed was Eomer. She felt a bit better now that the spears were out of her face.

" There were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them/' asked Gimli, unable to contain his concern.

" They would be no more than children in your eyes," said Aragorn earnestly.

" We left none alive," replied Eomer. Gwen drew her breath in sharply and looked down sadly. 

" Hasufel! Arod! Skeet! Come!" commanded Eomer, " May these horses aid you to better fortunes than their former masters." Gwen took the reins of a smaller, brown and white horse; the one Eomer had called Skeet. The horse bit into her shoulder. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out and glared at the horse.

Eomer began to mount his horse, saying, " Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. Farewell!" He turned his horse.

" We ride north!" he yelled and he and his men thundered off. 

" At least we can ride now," Gwen said, looking warily at her new steed, which stared back at her. She walked around the horses' side and lightly leapt on. The horse reared up and hit the ground at a gallop. Gwen hung on for dear life! Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli took off after her, not wishing to be left behind.

And now for my wonderful reviewer!

Pandagrrl: Gimli reached UP and put his hand on Gwen's shoulder!!! To be honest, I would have never noticed that had you not said something. See you in class.


	15. Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I own Gwen and her new and obnoxious horse, Skeet.

* A note to my readers: some of the stuff in my story will come from the Two Towers extended version, now that I have actually seen it. So if you think, " Hey, that didn't happen," or " They didn't say that," they really did, you just need to watch the extended version =)

Gwen rode Skeet, the wind wiping through her hair, the ground rolling away beneath the horse's hooves. Her heart was light. She knew now that Merry and Pippin were safe. Better yet, the person on the beautiful white stallion next to her was Gandalf. They had gone into Fangorn Forest to find the hobbits and instead ran into Gandalf. Gwen was amazed at the change in him. He was clad all in white and seemed to have an aura of power around him. She was very glad that he was back. Towards evening, they stopped to make camp and to rest. Gwen sat around the campfire, telling Gandalf of her little mishap in Moria.

" Then, when I thought all hope had deserted me, I found a kitchen drain, dug through the side of the mountain, was chased down the mountain by orcs, and ended up in Lothlorien!" she finished triumphantly. Gandalf laughed. 

"You have certainly had an interesting adventure, haven't you, my dear?" he asked jokingly. Gwen chuckled.

" Not as interesting as your's, friend," she answered. Gandalf walked off to talk with Aragorn. Gwen took a bite of her stew. Her face took on an expression of distaste and she spat it out in the fire, causing a column of blue flame to go up.

" Ugh, who made this? I think it would kill an orc!" she exclaimed.

" Mind your manners, missy! I didn't see you volunteering for cooking duty," said Gimli with indignation.

" What did you put in this, Gimli?" she asked in curiosity.

" Oh, a little of this, little of that," he answered. Seeing the frightened look on her face, he said, " Don't worry, none of it was poisonous." Gwen put her stew down and satisfied herself with a piece of lembas. Legolas looked at her, saying, " If you keel over and die, can I have your sword?" She took a swing at him, saying, " Never will you get your princely hands on my sword! But, you may have my horse," she added. Legolas recoiled in mock horror at the thought of having to ride Skeet.

" Never will I ride on that hellion of a horse!" he exclaimed. Gwen laughed. It was true; Skeet was a bit wild. He barely cooperated for her, and that was after talking a good hours worth of elvish to him. But, in a strange way, she liked him. Except when he snuck up on her and bit her shoulder, like he did just then.

" Yowch!! You foul fiend! That is the second time he has done that since we stopped! Why, may I ask, did I get stuck with the crazy horse?" she asked, looking at the others accusingly.

" Because you were standing closest to him. Now, get some sleep," said Aragorn. Gwen rolled herself up into her cloak and dropped off.

Gwen woke to see Skeet standing directly above her. He looked down at her and nudged her head. She pushed herself to her feet and leapt out of biting range. Looking warily at the pot that Gimli was warming above the fire, she went and got another piece of lembas and went to stand next to Legolas.

" Ah, a wise choice, my friend," he said, noticing her choice of breakfast. She nodded, saying, " I learned my lesson well yesterday. What does he put in those stews anyway?"

" I have no desire to know," answered Legolas.

" Personally, I don't think – OW! You blasted horse! Would you stop biting me for just one day?" she yelled at Skeet. " What, do you want a nibble of lembas? Is that it? Well, here you go!" she said, breaking a piece of and feeding it to him.

" You would think he would be content eating grass like most normal horses," she muttered. Legolas smiled to himself.

" Come, on to Edoras!' said Gandalf. Gwen walked over to Skeet to attempt to mount him. As swiftly as she could manage, she swung herself up into the saddle. Skeet stayed suprisingly still. Gwen patted his neck in approval, saying nice things to him in elvish. Gandalf kicked Shadowfax into motion and the others fell in besides him. By mid day, they were in sight of Edoras.

" Here is Edoras and the hall of Meadowseld, the realm of King Theoden, whose mind is overturned. Do not look for welcome here," Gandalf warned them. The small company rode up to and through the gates. Once inside, they continued up a road that led up to the great Hall.

" Personally, I think it was easier to breathe in Fangorn Forest than it is here," remarked Gwen.

" You find more cheer in a graveyard," voiced Gimli. Gwen looked up and saw a woman with long blonde hair standing in front of the Hall. The next time she looked, the woman was gone. The left the horses and walked up the stairs leading to the door. A man stopped them at the top.

" I cannot allow you before Theoden king so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of Grima Wormtongue," he finished with a smirk. Gwen looked to Gandalf, who nodded to them. She then pulled out her sword and handed it to one of the men. Her daggers came next. The man looked at her in surprise. She arched her eyebrow, saying, " What?" with a shrug. 

" Your staff," the man said to Gandalf.

" Oh, would you deprive an old man of his walking stick?" said Gandalf, feigning innocence. The man looked at Gandalf for a moment then permitted them to enter. Gandalf winked at his companions and began to walk through the doors. Gwen giggled softly.

" Here, old man, let me help you," she said with mock severity, offering Gandalf her arm, which he took. Gimli stifled a chuckle. They walked down a large, open hall.

" The hospitality of your home has somewhat lessened of late, Theoden king," said Gandalf. Gwen looked at the decrepit, shriveled lump of fur sitting on the throne. _This is the king of Rohan? Boy does he need some help, _she thought, revolted.

" Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" the lump wheezed. A man who Gwen judged to be Grima Wormtongue came forward.

" Late is the hour of your arrival. Lothspell I name you. Ill news is an ill guest," he said._ Ugh, he is almost as bad as the king is, _Gwen thought. 

" Silence! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth! I have not passed through fire and death to bandy cheap words with a witless worm!" said Gandalf, thrusting his staff forwards.

" His staff! I told you to take the wizard's staff!" Grima said, backing away as his guards flooded the room. Gwen instantly turned and caught one of the guards with a backhand to his jaw, knocking him flat. A punch to another's mouth sent him spinning. Gandalf continued forwards, trying to release Theoden. The fighting came to a halt.

I release you from the spell," Gandalf said to Theoden. Much to Gwen's revulsion, the king began to laugh.

" You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey," he hissed. Gandalf's eyes flashed as he threw open his robes. A bright light flooded the hall. The king cowered back into his chair.

" I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound," exclaimed Gandalf, lowering his staff.

" If I go, Theoden dies!" Saruman said with a malicious snarl.

" You did not kill me and you will not kill him. Now, be gone!" yelled Gandalf. Theoden lunged forwards, but was thrown backwards. After a minute, his hair began to turn blonde and his skin lost it's decayed look. _Ah, now I can see the king, _Gwen thought happily. The blonde woman ran forwards.

" I know your face. Eowyn!" said the king, " Gandalf? How did you-?" 

" Breathe the free air again," said Gandalf.

" Dark have been my dreams of late," continued the king.

" Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword," said Gandalf. Theoden's sword was brought to him. He drew it and looked at it. Then he looked down at Grima. Guards grabbed Grima and threw him out the doors. He rolled down the steps.

" Do not send me from your sight, my lord! I have only served you," he begged pitifully.

" Your leech craft would have had me crawling on the floor like a beast," Theoden said with malice, raising his sword up above his head. His stroke was curt short by Aragorn.

" No my lord! No! Enough blood has been spilt on his behalf," he said. Grima shoved through the crowd. Gwen watched him go in disgust. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see Eowyn standing there.

" I wish to thank you for helping Rohan today," Eowyn said gratefully. Gwen was somewhat taken aback. To her, it had just been another fight.

" You are welcome. I'm Gwen," she stammered. 

" I am Eowyn. Come, I can get you a hot bath and some food. You look exhausted. And your back is bleeding," she said with concern.

" Oh is it now? Well, I am more interested in the food. All I have really been offered so far has been Gimli's stew," she said with an expression of disgust. Eowyn laughed at her face and the two of them headed inside.

Yes, I skipped over the Fangorn thing. It was just so boring! Well, that's it for now. Ta ta!!


	16. Chapter 15

DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Lord of the Rings. Sigh. But I do own Gwen and her horse, Skeet.

Gwen stood staring at the dress that Eowyn had so kindly given to her. Gwen hadn't really realized it, but her other clothes were in a very sorry state. The dress was nothing fancy. There was an off white underdress to go underneath and a thicker, heavier burgundy dress to be worn on the outside. The only problem was the length. _Well, that can be fixed,_ Gwen thought to herself as she pulled out one of her knives and began cutting the dresses up so they would go to the tops of her boots instead of all the way to the ground. She then began pulling the dresses gingerly over her head. Eowyn had put fresh bandages on her back, after pulling out the stitches. It was actually healing very nicely, as long as Gwen didn't start beating people up again. Gwen pulled on her boots and walked out into the hall. Eowyn walked up to her.

" There, you look very nice. Come, the others are talking. This way," she said. Gwen followed her down the hall. She entered a room and Gwen heard voices. There were two children sitting at a table, eating ravenously. 

" They came from a village that was attacked by orcs and wild men," Eowyn informed her. Gwen looked at them. _They look frightened and alone, _she thought as she moved over to where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were sitting.

" What is going on?" she asked.

" Gandalf is giving advice to the King," answered Aragorn. 

" Gimli, stop hogging all the food. What has the King decided to do?" she asked as she grabbed a plate of meat and some bread.

" Listen," responded Aragorn. Gwen focused her attention on what Gandalf was saying.

" This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash. He is driven by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on! Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight!" Gandalf said earnestly.

" You have 2,000 men riding north as we speak. Eomer is loyal to you. They will return and fight for their King," said Aragorn. 

" Eomer cannot help us. I know what you want of me, but I cannot bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war," said the king, rising from his seat.

" Open war is upon you, whether you risk it or not," said Aragorn. Gwen glanced at Eowyn and caught her looking at Aragorn. Theoden walked over to where Aragorn was sitting.

" Last time I looked, Theoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan," he said irritably. Gimli let out a loud belch. Gwen looked at him and kicked him underneath the table. He grunted and glared at her. She put a finger to her lips, telling him to keep silent.

" Then what is the King's decision?" questioned Gandalf. Theoden looked up at him.

" We will make for the fortress of Helms Deep," he stated firmly. The king left to get ready. Gandalf and the others went outside and headed towards the stables.

" Helms Deep! They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight! Who will defend them, if not their king?" Gimli ranted.

" Theoden is only doing what he thinks is best. Helms Deep has saved them in the past," defended Aragorn.

" There is no way out of that ravine. Theoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he is leading them to safety. What he will get is a massacre," said Gandalf. Gwen walked over to Gimli and Legolas.

" Gandalf is right," she said softly, " fighting would be better. Saruman probably knows that they are going to Helms Deep. He is not stupid, especially if that Grima character went and told him." 

" There is no reasoning with the king. We will just have to go along and help the best we can," said Legolas. Gwen's mind wandered to what had happened to her people. 

" It is bad to have so much confidence in the safety of a place, because if danger does end up getting in, they will be unprepared to stop it," she said sadly. Legolas placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing what she was thinking about. After a moment, she brightened up.

" I guess if we are going along, I should try to get my horse saddled," she said with mock annoyance. Gimli gave a throaty laugh at her words.

" Have fun, missy!" he said. Gwen went to cross over to Skeet's stall and was practically run over as Gandalf galloped out on Shadowfax.

" Aragorn, where is he going?" she asked.

You know Gandalf. He would not tell me, but it must be very important," he answered. Gwen nodded and crossed over to Skeet's stall without almost getting run over.

Hello old boy! I brought you something," she said, holding out a small piece of lembas. The horse gobbled it down. Gwen then felt that it was safe to enter the stall. She began brushing him down. Soon, he was saddled and ready to go. Gwen saw Eowyn walk in and went over to talk to her.

" How do we get to Helms Deep?" Gwen asked.

" There is a path that we will follow. It will be very rough and hard going, but we should make it," she answered. Gwen noticed that her eyes kept on darting to where Aragorn was standing. Gwen looked over at him, then back at her, thinking_ should I tell her that he is already in love with Arwen?_ Before she could, Legolas turned to her.

" Gwen, go get your weapons, we are leaving soon," he told her. She walked up to her room and retrieved them. She then walked back to Skeet and mounted him. The column of people began to move. Gwen fell in line next to Aragorn; unease growing in her mind with every step her horse took.

The going was hard, especially for people who were old. The scenery was beautiful, though. Gwen took a deep breath of the clean, fresh mountain air, listening to Gimli tell Eowyn about dwarf women.

" Now, it's true you don't see many dwarf women. In fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, they are often mistaken for dwarf men," he said. Eowyn looked back at Aragorn.

" It's the beards!" he said softly. Eowyn giggled and turned back to Gimli.

" This has given to the rise of the belief that there are no dwarf women, and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!" he said, throwing his hands up into the air. This startled his horse, which bolted, throwing Gimli to the ground. Gwen laughed and the sight. Eowyn ran over to him to help him up, laughing.

" It's alright! Nobody panic! It was deliberate, it was deliberate!" he said in an attempt to cover up his fall.

" Yes, Gimli! I am sure that it was!" said Gwen, with one of her eyebrows raised. Gimli glared at her.

" Are you questioning my honor? Keep silent, or I will make some of my special stew for you when we stop to make camp!" he threatened. Gwen widened her eyes in horror and spurred Skeet onward to escape the dwarf. 

They stopped when darkness fell. Gwen tied Skeet up and sat by the fire with Gimli and Legolas. Eowyn came over to them.

" Here, I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot," she said, offering them some. All refused except Aragorn. Gwen watched him take a bite. His face lost all expression and he forced the spoonful to go down. Gwen laughed silently.

" I learned my lesson with stew long ago," she said softly. After Eowyn walked off, Aragorn dumped the bowl onto the ground.

" Now Aragorn, it isn't good to waste," Gwen scolded. Aragorn glared at her.

" Would you have liked a taste?" he asked.

" If I had wanted one, would I have refused as I did?" she questioned. He smiled.

" We should get some sleep," he said. The four of them soon drifted off.

Gwen awoke to Legolas tapping her on the shoulder.

" Come, we are moving on," he said. Gwen stood up and rubbed her back as she stretched.

" Oh, I think I will walk today," she moaned, quite saddle sore. She took Skeet's reins and began to walk next to Gimli. She was quite on edge, starting at every odd sound.

" A wee bit jumpy today, aren't you?" asked Gimli.

" Something has been bothering me since we left," she mused.

" You have felt it to?" asked Legolas. Gwen nodded her head in reply.

" I had just thought it was my imagination, but now that you sense it too, I know that it is real," she said.

" Come with me up ahead, we can keep an eye out," he said. Gwen mounted her horse and set him into a canter. She reached the top of a ridge and Skeet reared up and refused to go any further. 

" What is wrong, boy?" she asked. Suddenly, she heard a snarl over to her left. She rode to the edge of the ridge and saw a huge wolf attacking Hama. Her eyes widened in horror. 

" Legolas, help!" she yelled, trying to calm her horse. Legolas ran up and shot the wolf. He then slit the throat of the orc rider.

" A scout!" he yelled in disgust. Gwen wheeled Skeet around and headed back to Aragorn.

" Wargs!" she yelled. Aragorn passed the alarm on.

" All riders to the head of the column!" commanded the king. Gwen fell in behind Aragorn, her heart hammering in her chest. They crested a hill and she saw the Wargs coming towards them.

__

Oh, no, she thought as they drew closer. Choking down a cry of terror, she followed on, not knowing if she was going to survive this attack.

Yeah, this chapter was kind of long, but I love suspense! Now, for my lovely reviewer.

SandraSmit19: I tried writing a chapter with Fangorn, but for the life of me, I could not make it work out the way I wanted it to. I wanted to get on with the story, so I just skipped it. But you all know it happened! 


	17. Chapter 16

DISCLAIMER: YES!!! MUWAHAHAHA!!! Lord of the Rings is MINE!!! I stole it!!! YAHAH – choke, cough, cough! Just kidding. Lord of the Rings still isn't mine. But Skeet and Gwen are.

Gwen shoved all traces of fear into the back of her mind. _This is no time to be frightened _she chided herself. Yet fear continued to wind it's icy fingers around her heart. There was one second when it seemed as if all noise became muffled and things shifted into slow motion. Then the riders and the Wargs clashed. Gwen heard a horse scream as she whirled out her sword. She charged a Warg that was heading towards the King, killing it with a stab to its side. She turned and Skeet reared up, throwing her from his back. Gwen hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from her lungs.

" Why did I have to get stuck with THAT horse?" she said as she quickly pushed herself up off the ground. Looking up, she came face to face with a very large and stinky Warg.

" Okay, that is a face only a half blind mother could love," she said. The Warg came towards her, crouching into a springing position. Gwen got her sword up in front of her. The Warg's leap was cut short by an arrow. Gwen looked up in surprise to see Legolas standing behind the dead animal.

" Legolas, you shouldn't go around killing other people's Wargs! It isn't very nice!" she yelled at him in mock irritation. He was used to her humor, so he rolled his eyes and continued on. Gwen turned and swiftly threw one of her knives at an orc rider who was standing over a man from Rohan. The orc crumbled to the ground. Gwen ran over to help the man up and grab her dagger. He nodded his thanks and turned away. Gwen turned to see a rider - less Warg feasting on a horse. An idea seized her and without a second thought she ran at the Warg and vaulted onto its back. The beast turned away from its meal and sprang to the side.

" Come on, you stupid creature!' she yelled, jerking on the reins. The Warg turned to the right and towards one of it's own comrades. Gwen spurred him towards it. The orc rider turned and slashed at her, catching her shoulder. She screamed and swung at him with her sword, taking off his head. She then stabbed downwards and slew her evil steed. Turning, she saw Aragorn being drug along by another Warg.

" Aragorn!" she yelled, running after the creature. It ran towards the cliff edge, dragging Aragorn with it. Gwen could not catch up. The Warg slipped on gravel and fell over the cliff side. Gwen continued running. She herself slipped on the gravel, falling hard on the rock. Tears brimmed over her eyes as she crawled to the edge of the drop, looking for any sign of hope. _This cannot be happening_ she thought. The battle ended swiftly. An odd Warg or orc ran about, but they were soon slaughtered. 

" Aragorn!" Legolas yelled. Gwen looked over to where he was standing. A dying orc gave a gurgling chuckle.

" Tell me what happened and I shall ease the passing," said Gimli. Placing his axe blade at the orc's throat.

" He's, cough, dead. Took a little tumble off the cliff," replied the orc, obviously relishing the thought.

Legolas grabbed his throat. " You lie!" he said angrily. The orc gave a choking sound and died.

" It's true. I saw him go over," said Gwen, her voice heavy with sorrow. Legolas walked over to the cliff edge and peered over. Gwen gave a loud sniffle.

" I tried to get to him, but I couldn't run fast enough. The Warg slipped and went over. I couldn't stop it," she sobbed. Her tears mingled with the dirt and blood on her face. Legolas was not given to signs of affection, so it gave Gwen a little shock when he walked over to her and gave her a hug. She cried on his shoulder. The King walked over. 

" Get the wounded on horses. Leave the dead," he commanded one of his men. Legolas turned from Gwen and stared at Theoden.

" Come," said Theoden, placing a hand on his shoulder, knowing how the elf felt.

" I guess this means that I had better go find my horse. Goodness knows were he has gotten too," choked Gwen. Gimli smiled at her attempt to lighten the weight that had settled upon them.

" Here, milady," a man behind her said. Gwen turned to see that he was holding Skeet.

" Oh, thank you so much! He didn't bite you, did he?" she asked. The man smiled grimly.

" He just took al little nibble. It's the least I could do. You saved my life," he replied, his voice filled with gratitude.

" Of course I did. What else could I have done?" she asked.

" Well, me and my family thank you," he said, then turned and mounted his horse. Gwen turned and attempted to mount Skeet. She gave a cry and let go of the saddle and looked at her hands. She hadn't realized until then that they had been scraped badly by the fall. 

" Here," she heard Legolas say. She turned and saw the strips of cloth he held in his hands. " Oh, these will make life so much easier," she said in thanks as she wrapped them around her hands. She turned around and mounted Skeet. What was left of the company headed towards Helms Deep.

Helms Deep was full of people. They all made way for the horsemen to ride through. Gwen rode and looked at the faces. _They are all afraid. But hey, I would be too, having to leave my life behind and not knowing what was going to happen, _she thought. Eowyn ran towards them.

" So few, so few of you have returned," she stammered. 

" Our people are safe. And we have paid for it with many lives," said the King as he dismounted.

" My lady," stammered Gimli.

" Lord Aragorn, where is he?" she asked, her face filled with concern.

Gimli had trouble getting the words out. " He fell," he finally managed to stammer. Gwen walked over and saw Eowyn's face fill with grief.

" I know, friend. It is hard on us all. Yet we all must continue on," said Gwen. Eowyn turned to her.

" You are right. Come on, let's get that shoulder tended too," said Eowyn as she beckoned Gwen to follow her. Gwen sat down and untied the drawstrings at the top of her dress, loosening the collar. She pulled the dress down over her shoulder.

" Ah, how do you manage to get hurt like this?" asked Eowyn as she bathed the shoulder. Gwen clenched her teeth together.

" I have no idea. Have you seen Legolas? He comes out of battle without a scratch on him. Which is quite sickening, if you know what I mean. I guess orcs just don't like me very much," Gwen joked. Eowyn laughed as she patched up Gwen's shoulder. After she got Gwen's shoulder done, she pulled her to the side were she had a blanket lying on the ground.

" Here, why don't you lie down and rest? I'll be nearby; no one will bother you. Go too sleep. You'll fell better when you wake up," she said. Gwen lay down and drifted off.

She awoke about two hours later and went to find Eowyn.  
" Eowyn, where are Gimli and Legolas?" she asked.

" Over that way," motioned Eowyn. Gwen walked in the direction she indicated and soon caught sight of Legolas. She walked up to him.

" Did I miss anything?" she asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

" No, we didn't do anything important," he responded.

" Oh, good. I'll go walk around, savvy?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulders and she walked off. After she wandered about for a while, she noticed some commotion by the doors. 

" Hey, what's going on?" she asked a bystander.

" He's back!" the person replied.

" Who is back?" she asked confused. Before her question was answered, she saw the source of all the excitement.

" Aragorn!!" she shrieked, pushing her way towards him. 

" Gwen!" he said, equally happy to see her, " Come with me. I am going to the King." Gwen followed happily. They encountered Legolas in the hall outside the king's door.

" You're late. You look terrible," he said. Aragorn smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. Legolas brought his hand up and Gwen saw him hand Aragorn the Evenstar necklace that Arwen had given to him. Aragorn smiled and headed inside.

" Legolas, that is no way to greet someone who has taken a tumble off a cliff and ridden all this way," she scolded with mock severity. He laughed and they walked in after Aragorn.

" A large contingent of orcs, you say?" said the King.

" All of Isengard is emptied. It is an army bred for a single purpose; to destroy the world of men. They will be here my nightfall," stated Aragorn. 

" Let them come!" said Theoden. Aragorn, Legolas, Gwen, and Gimli followed Theoden as he walked outside and began giving orders to prepare the city. Gwen wandered over to where Eowyn was sitting, planning on catching up with Aragorn later. She seated herself next to Eowyn. Gwen watched as her eyes followed Aragorn's every move.

" I am assuming that you are glad that Aragorn is back?" Gwen asked nonchalantly. Eowyn looked at her and blushed.

" Am I really that obvious?' she asked. Gwen smiled.

" Just a little," she responded. Gwen still couldn't bring herself to tell Eowyn about Arwen. _Eowyn would be crushed if she knew,_ she thought. So she busied herself with helping Eowyn herd the women and children into the caves. Gwen caught sight of Aragorn and walked over to him.

" What did the King say?" she asked him.

" The King will not call for help. As you can see, the women and children are being sent into the caves, out of the battle," he informed her.

" He places much faith in the fortress' ability to keep the orcs out," lamented Gwen.

" Yes, I know. It is a strong Hold, yet everything has a weakness," he said.

" Aragorn!" a voice cried. Gwen turned to see Eowyn pushing towards them.

" I am being sent down into the caves," she said, a tone of disappointment evident in her voice.

" That is an honorable position," commented Aragorn, trying to make her feel better.

" To mind the women and children. What chance of valor is there in that?" she demanded hotly.

" There may come a time when the people will need guidance. Then, who will they turn too?" Aragorn asked her.

" Please, let me stand at your side," she begged.

" It is not in my power to do so," he stated. 

" Your friends stand with you! And they do it because they love you!" she cried. Aragorn looked at her in silence. Gwen looked at Legolas, who was standing nearby.

" I am sorry, my lord," apologized Eowyn as she turned away. Gwen watched her go. _Well, that was quite unexpected, _she thought. She followed Aragorn and Legolas into the armory. It was full of young boys and old men. Gwen looked about her in dismay.

" Farmers, ironworkers, stable boys. These are no soldiers," said Aragorn.

" Most have seen too many winters," said Gimli.

" Or too few," continued Legolas.

" Does Theoden expect these young ones to fight?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide. Aragorn nodded.

" Look at them. They're frightened. You can see it in their eyes," said Legolas. All eyes riveted on him.

" And why should they be? Two hundred against ten thousand?" he continued in elvish.

" Their chances are better here than at Edoras," answered Aragorn, also in elvish.

" Aragorn, they cannot win this battle. They are all going to die!" Legolas said. Gwen flinched at his words. He himself seemed frightened.

" Then I shall die as one of them!" yelled Aragorn in the common speech. He then turned and walked away. Legolas started after him. Gimli and Gwen stopped him.

" Let him go lad. Let him be," said Gimli. Gwen looked up at him.

" You are frightened," she said simply, " So am I, and so are they. Yet if we do not fight, then who will? Saruman's army did come as a bit of a shock, but we must stick it through. Give Aragorn a bit of time, I do not think that he will remain angry with you." Gimli nodded his agreement. 

" You are a good friend, Gwen," Legolas said. Gwen smiled at him

" Well, someone has to keep you in line," she replied. A loud gurgling sound came from Gimli's belly. Gwen looked at him and arched her eyebrow.  
" Could we find some food?" he asked. Gwen laughed and the trio set off in search of food.

" Yes, as long as it isn't a certain Dwarf's stew!" she said, dodging a light blow from that certain dwarf.

Gwen later found Aragorn in the armory. She bounced up next to him.

" Ah, getting the old chain mail on, aye? Is there one that would fit me?" she asked. Aragorn eyed her slender figure.

" I do not think so, but you can try," he answered. He went to reach for his sword and found Legolas holding it.

" You have brought us this far and have not led us astray. Forgive me, I was wrong to despair," he apologized. Aragorn accepted his sword.

" There is nothing to forgive," he said, clasping Legolas' shoulder. Gimli clanked into the room.

" By the time I get this atrusted thing on -," the mail slid over his and piled up around his feet. Gwen stifled a giggle as she looked at Aragorn and Legolas.

" It's a little tight across the chest," said Gimli with indignation. A horn sounded through the armory.

" That is no orc horn," cried Legolas. Gwen followed him as he ran out to the gate. What she saw took her breath away. There was a large company of elves standing in front of the king. Haldir was with them. Aragorn ran forward.

" Haldir! You are most welcome," he said, embracing the stunned elf. Legolas walked forward to greet him. Gwen laughed joyfully. The elves did a neat turn and faced the king. 

" We are proud to stand with our fellow men," said Haldir. Legolas was standing behind him, smiling like crazy. Gwen laughed at his face. Aragorn began leading the elves up to the top of the wall to put them in position. Gwen followed Legolas and Gimli, her heart lighter with the arrival of her fellow people.

Yes, I know this was rreeaallyy long, but bear with me now, because it is going to be good. And the chapters will hopefully be shorter.


	18. Chapter 17

DISCLAIMER: Lord of the Rings is not mine, as you all probably have guessed by now. Gwen, Skeet, and Maedron are mine. Yes, we have a new character!

Gwen stood on the walltop, looking out at the sea of lights marching closer and closer.

" Personally, I think Saruman is overkilling it a little bit," she whispered to Gimli. He grunted in reply. Aragorn walked amongst the ranks of elves, shouting encouraging words at them in elvish. He came and stood next to Gwen.

" Here," he said, handing her a bow and arrow. Gwen looked at it as if it were a foreign object.

" Oh, I will be alright with just my swords," she said, trying to get rid of it.

" No, you will need it," he replied, handing it to her. She took it awkwardly and thanked him.

" Whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night," said Gimli to Aragorn. A flash of lightening cut through the sky, lighting up the darkness. Gwen could see the masses of orcs.

" Your friends are with you, Aragorn," said Legolas.

" Let's hope they last the night," muttered Gimli. Gwen scooted over to Legolas.

" Hey, how do I work this thing," she asked, her voice filled with embarrassment. Legolas looked at her in shock.

" You don't know how to shoot?" he asked in astonishment.

" Would I be asking you how if I already knew?" she whispered in irritation. It was bad enough him having to know. She really didn't want him spouting it off in front of the other elves.

" It isn't too hard, just watch me as we load," he whispered. Gwen nodded and looked straight ahead. She felt a raindrop hit her on the head. The sound of it pinging off the elf armor was soon heard.

" What's going on?" asked Gimli, trying to see over the wall.

" Shall I describe it to you, or would you like me to find you a box?" asked Legolas, a hint of a smile on his face. Gwen laughed.

" I hope they don't rust," Gwen muttered to herself, glad that she had passed on chain mail. The orcs had gotten very close. She could see their disgusting faces underneath their helmets. Aragorn yelled for them to load their bows. Gwen looked at Legolas, who was loading slowly for her benefit. She copied his every move, making sure the pointy end of the arrow was facing towards the orcs.

" Their armor is weak round the shoulders and neck," said Legolas in elvish. _Oh, right, like I am going to be able to hit an orc's neck, _she thought as she strained to hold the bow drawn. _Come on, Aragorn, gotta let go, _thought Gwen as her arms began to cramp. Aragorn had gotten a bow with too heavy of a draw weight for her. Suddenly, an arrow was fired from King Theoden's ranks.

" Hold!" Aragorn yelled in elvish. Gwen struggled to comply. The orcs stopped banging their spears on the ground. Their comrade slumped to the ground and fell. All the orcs began baring their teeth and snarling. They charged the wall. Aragorn yelled for them to fire. Gwen took aim and let her arrow fly. She watched as an orc fell with it embedded in its chest.

" Well, that wasn't so bad," she said to herself. Pulling another arrow onto her bow, she waited for Aragorn to command them to fire. When he yelled, she let it go. Gwen felt a soft breeze swish past her face. Pain swiped across her cheek. She looked back, her eyes wide. There were archers on the ground behind them, shooting through the gaps at the orcs! Putting her hand to her face, she felt a small scrape across the side of her cheek were an arrow had barely missed her.

" Hmm, looks like someone's a bit rusty. Better not move around to much," she whispered. Notching another arrow to her bow, she let it fly. When she looked down, she saw that the orcs were bringing ladders to climb up the wall.

" Ah, this is more like it!" yelled Gimli. Gwen couldn't have agreed more. She stuck the bow into her quiver and pulled out her sword as the first ladder came up. She merely had to stick her sword out straight in front of her to slay the first orc over. With that one down, she went at the other ones.

" Legolas! Two!" yelled Gimli, holding up two fingers.

" I am on seventeen!" Legolas answered. Gwen laughed at the antics of the two.

" Ah! I'll have no pointy eared elf out scoring me!" yelled Gimli as he killed another orc.

" And I'll have no midget dwarf beating me either!" Gwen yelled back, getting into the game. That got a laugh from Legolas. Gwen went about with her sword, wreaking havoc. She saw one orc sneaking up on Haldir. Calmly, she walked up on the orc and stabbed him. Orcs began to march up to the doors, their shields covering their heads.

" Hey, over there!" she yelled to the archers. They turned as one and began to shoot the orcs. Cries from Aragorn caused her to turn.  
" Legolas! Shoot him! Bring him down!" he yelled. Gwen saw that an orc was running with a large torch. 

" Come on Legolas!" she screamed, knowing that whatever was going on couldn't be good. Legolas shot him twice in the shoulders near the neck. The orc gave a cry and, carried on by his own momentum, he crashed into the drainage opening. The wall rumbled and heaved beneath Gwen's feet, causing her to fall. A huge section of the wall had been entirely blown away! Huge chunks of rock flew into the air. Gwen flew backwards through the air, propelled by the strength of the blast. Luckily for her, she didn't land on the ground, just on another section of the wall. Her crash landing knocked the air from her body. Huge chunks of rock flew through the air, along with the bodies of elves. Gwen scrunched herself into as small a ball as possible to avoid being hit by any of the missiles. The shaking stopped and she managed to push herself up onto her feet. What she saw caused her blood to freeze. Orcs were flooding in through the opening in the wall!   
" Aragorn!" she yelled as she caught sight of him lying on the ground.

" Aragorn!" she heard Gimli yell. She watched as he flung himself off the walltop and into the melee below.

" Gimli!" she yelled in dismay as she dispatched another orc. Aragorn got the elves together for a charge. Gwen watched them clash with the orcs. Legolas, who slid down a stair on a shield, firing arrows as he went, soon joined them. 

" I have got to get down there, I'm missing out!" she said to herself. She walked along the walltop, killing the odd orc as she went, trying to find a way down. It seemed as if all the orcs were trying to come up all the stairways. Trying to push her way down would result in death. Gwen turned round in frustration to meet the blade of an orc. She blocked with her sword and kicked him in the head with all her might. The orc staggered backwards and fell over the walltop and was impaled on another orc's spear.

" Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep!" she heard the King yell. Aragorn began to usher the elves back into the Keep. Gwen turned and began yelling to the other elves to get back.

" Come on, to the Keep!" she yelled in elvish.   
"Haldir!" yelled Aragorn, motioning the elf to the Keep. Gwen was a bit behind Haldir, so she saw what happened next. Haldir turned and was struck by an orc. He slew the orc and stood, holding his side. Gwen saw the orc come up behind him. The orc struck downwards into Haldir's back. Gwen screamed horribly and ran to the fallen elf. She reached him at the same time as Aragorn, who caught him as he fell. Haldir's eyes glazed over in death. Aragorn placed a hand on his chest, then rose and turned with a cry. Gwen stood and looked at him, not liking the look in his eye. In reckless anger, Aragorn detached one of the orc ladders that had been put up on the inside of the wall and rode it downward to the ground. Gwen ran to the edge of the wall.

" Aragorn, what in the blazes do you think you are doing? Well, whatever it is, I am coming too!" she yelled. She walked along the walltop until she found a ladder of her own. 

"Perfect!" she said, a frightening light in her eyes. She leapt onto the top of the ladder and kicked it away from the wall. For a split second the ladder stood straight up in the air. Then it tumbled over.

" YEAGH!!!" Gwen shrieked as gravity pulled the ladder down. Just before it hit the ground, she flung herself off and onto an orc. The ladder flattened at least two more. Gwen laid about with her sword, killing orcs.

Aragorn stood in the middle of battle next to another elf.

" We must get the rest into the Keep, Maedron. Try to round them up," said Aragorn. He reached out and caught Legolas' arm.

" Where is Gwen?" he demanded.

" Last I saw of her, she was riding a ladder down from the walltop over there," he replied. Aragorn laughed.

" That sounds like Gwen. Maedron, go find her!" he commanded. The dark haired elf looked at him.

" What does she look like?" he asked.

" Tall, short blonde hair. She is the only girl on the battle field!" replied Aragorn as he helped Legolas haul a reluctant Gimli back into the Keep. Maedron nodded and set out in the direction Legolas had motioned.

Gwen was fighting her way towards the Keep. Orc after orc fell as she hacked her way to the stairs. A sharp flame of pain shot through her side. An orc's sword had caught her, giving her a nice scrape.

" Well, I guess it's back to doctor Eowyn," she muttered as she turned and killed the orc. All her killing was to no avail. There was no way she was getting to that stair. She did the only thing she could think to do. She ran as fast as she could, knowing that a moving target was harder to hit than a standing one. The stair that Aragorn had gone up loomed up on her left. Gwen shot sideways and slipped. Her tired legs crumpled beneath her body, not wanting to move any longer. Suddenly, strong arms lifted her up off the ground. Gwen ignored her tired body and made her legs move. She began once again to run, this time helped along by a stranger. After they got to the top of the stair, she turned to the man. He was a tall elf, with long, straight black hair and light gray eyes.

" Who are you and where is Aragorn?" she demanded. 

" I am Maedron. Aragorn is at the door," he replied calmly.

" Which direction is the door in?" she asked sharply.

" That way, but don't you want to go to the caves where you will be safe?" he asked, catching her arm. She stared up at him.

" Go to the caves? Why would I want to do something like that?" she asked, jerking her arm out of his grasp. Gwen turned and ran towards the door. Once she reached it, she found Aragorn.

" Well, that can't be good," she said, indicating the large hole in the door. Aragorn shook his head. 

" Aragorn, I need you to hold the door!" yelled Theoden.

" How long do you need?" Aragorn asked.

" As long as you can give me!" replied the King. Aragorn grabbed Gimli. Gwen started to go after them, but someone caught her back. It was Legolas.

" Gwen, Maedron, come with me!" he demanded. She did without question. Legolas led them outside. Gwen looked downwards and saw Aragorn and Gimli fighting. 

" When the time comes, we will need to get them out of there quick!" said Legolas. Gwen nodded, looking down to the orcs.

" Legolas, look!" she yelled. The orcs were shooting very large hooks on to the walltop! Then three very large ladders began to raise up off the ground, orcs clinging to them like bugs. Legolas and Maedron pulled out their bows and arrows. Taking good aim, Legolas hit one of the cables. The ladder stood still, then fell backwards. Gwen patted him on the shoulder.

" Mighty good shot!" she said admirably. Her happiness faded suddenly.

" Aragorn and Gimli!" she yelled. Legolas yelled to Aragorn and threw a rope down to him. Aragorn and Gimli grabbed on. Legolas, Gwen, and Maedron began hauling them up. Legolas grasped Aragorn's arm and pulled the two of them up. Gwen grabbed Gimli.

" Retreat! Retreat into the Keep!" a voice could be heard crying. Gwen looked at Aragorn. He beckoned them to follow him into the Keep. Legolas ran at the back, firing arrows as he went.

I got a new reviewer! 

Collie girl, I am very glad that you like my story!


	19. Chapter 18

DISCLAIMER: Lord of the Rings isn't mine. Gwen, Maedron, and Skeet are mine though, so no touchy!!!

* A couple of parts of this story are from TTT extended version, so no, I cannot take credit for the nervous system thing, darn it!

A bench scraped across the stone floor as Gwen attempted to drag it to the door. She winced and kept tugging, trying to ignore her sore limbs. When the bench reached the door, what few men were left propped it up to barricade the entrance. Gwen turned to get another, nearly running into Legolas in the process.

" Oops! Sorry," she said as she walked over and began to pull on a table. It was a bit more difficult than the bench, being quite a bit larger and heavier. She braced her legs against the ground and pulled. The table moved slightly. Gwen closed her eyes and applied all her strength to pulling it. So much strength in fact, that when Maedron got on the other side to help her push, the sudden forward movement on the table caused her to fall backwards!

" Aye!" she yelled as she fell on her behind. Maedron walked around to help her up, trying not to laugh at the sight of her sitting on the floor, rubbing her behind. 

" Did you think that I really needed to add another injury to my list? How am I supposed to ride my horse now?" she said, scowling up at him.

" You will just have to stand in the saddle," he responded, pulling her up.

" That's easy for you to say. You have never seen my horse," she said darkly. Walking around to the other side of the table, she began to push. He pulled on the side she had been previously on. This caused Gwen to nearly fall forwards. She caught herself, but not before she banged her knee on the ground.

" Okay, you push, and I'll pull," she said as she stood up, favoring her knee. They did so and managed to get the table to the door without further event. Gwen rushed over to Aragorn.

" Aragorn, that door isn't going to hold for much longer. Those orcs are going to bring the battering ram in," she said in alarm. Aragorn nodded, knowing that the situation was near hopeless.

" What use is it? The Keep has fallen," despaired the King.

" Is there another way to get the women and children out of the caves?" asked Aragorn. The Kings helper looked at him.

" Is there no other way?" Aragorn asked, this time more forcefully. The man nodded.

" There is one pass. It leads out and into the mountains. But they will not get far, the Uruk are too many," he replied.

" At least they will have some chance of escape," said Gwen.

" Get he women and children into the mountains, and barricade the entrance!" commanded Aragorn.

" So much death! What can man do against such reckless hate?" lamented the King. Aragorn looked at him.

" Ride out with me," he said softly.

" For what? Death and glory?" asked the King.

" For Rohan," answered Aragorn.

" The sun is rising," remarked Gimli. Gwen looked to the window and sure enough, gentle rays of light were creeping in. Their warmth caressed her face.

" Gandalf," whispered Aragorn. Gwen knew then that something was about to happen. She looked at Aragorn.

" Yes! We will meet them head on! The Horn will sound in the Hornburg one last time!" Theoden said with raw determination. Gwen smiled and ran with the others to get the horses. She reached Skeet and grabbed his reins.

" Come!" she commanded him, " And no biting!" Skeet followed her out. She swung herself up onto him and rode up behind Legolas. Maedron situated himself next to her. The King drew his sword. Gwen pulled her's out and readied it in her hand. The orcs were battering away at the door. Gwen's heart pounded against her chest. The door crashed inwards and orcs began flooding in.

" CHARGE!!" yelled Theoden. The riders kicked their horses into a gallop and ran at the orcs. Gwen swung her sword in a glittering arc and took off an orc's head. She continued hacking from side to side, making a way for her horse. The company burst into the open air. Gwen's senses came alive in the morning air. Fresh energy flowed through her body as the sun thawed her limbs.

" YAGH!" she cried as she stabbed at an orc. Gwen followed Legolas out the doors and onto the ramp leading out of the Keep. Orcs fell away like water as the riders spurred their horses onward. Gwen caught her breath. There were so many orcs left over from the battle! She continued fighting, wreaking havoc amongst the orcs around her. Maedron loomed up on her left. He was on a huge coal black horse. She watched in horror as an orc ran up and, with a quick thrust of its sword, it slew the animal. Maedron managed to leap off the fallen beast before he was trapped underneath it.

" Maedron! Hold on!" yelled Gwen as she maneuvered Skeet in his direction. He stood, fighting off the orcs that were coming at him. _I have got to get him off the ground,_ Gwen thought earnestly. She gave Skeet a mighty kick to move him forward. The horse leapt towards him. Gwen pulled him up sharply next to the elf.

" Come on!" she yelled, holding her hand down to him. He grasped it and she helped him up on Skeet, who was not very pleased by the turn of events.

" Hold on, he isn't going to be very happy!" she told Maedron. He locked his arms around her waist. Gwen was right. Skeet didn't like what was going on. He made it known by rearing up off the ground. Gwen and Maedron clung to his back. When the horse's front hooves hit the ground again, Gwen began to speak softly in elvish to him, which calmed him down. She then jerked on the reins to steer him towards Aragorn. Maedron sat behind her, taking out orcs as they went. Gwen felt his sword whistle very close to her ear.

" Would you please try to refrain from cutting off my head?!" she yelled in annoyance. Her anger vanished as she looked up onto the ridge. There, in all his shining glory, was Gandalf on Shadowfax.

" Gandalf!" Gwen shrieked. Maedron looked over her shoulder.

" Mithrandir!" he said in astonishment. Another man came up along side Gandalf.

" That looks like Eomer!" Gwen yelled as she swung her sword at an orc. She was right. Gandalf began to charge down the hill with Eomer. Two thousand men followed. It was amazing. All the orcs ran to face the new men. The horses slid down the slope. Just before they reached the bottom, the sun appeared over the ridge, blinding the orcs. Gandalf and Eomer's men attacked the orcs full force. Gwen was so happy that tears were streaming out of her eyes. She gave Skeet another hefty kick at began to kill orcs at an almost manic rate. The orcs were soon running with the riders in hot pursuit. Up ahead, Gwen saw that the orcs were fleeing into a forest. She pulled Skeet up sharply.

" We are going to let them escape?" asked Maedron incredulously, the light of battle in his eyes.

" That forest was not here when we arrived. Something tells me we should not enter," she responded, looking back at him. Eomer rode along the front of the line.

" Stay away from the trees!" he shouted.

" See? I was right," said Gwen. The riders watched the orcs disappear into the forest. Shrieking and whistling sounds permeated the air. Gwen watched with wide eyes as the treetops began to bend inward and the entire forest began to move and shake.

" What is happening?" she asked Legolas.

" The trees are killing the orcs," he replied, his eyes as wide as her's.

" Hmm, killer trees. That's something you don't see everyday," she commented, her eyebrow arched.

" No, it isn't," said Maedron. 

The company rode back to the Keep. Dead orcs were piled up everywhere. Gwen was walking from where she had tied Skeet with the other horses. She saw Legolas walk up to Gimli, who was sitting on an orc carcass.

" Final count, forty - two," he said, running his hands along his bow.

" Forty – two? That's not bad for a pointy-eared elf princling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty – three," Gimli gloated. Legolas pulled out an arrow and shot the orc that Gimli was sitting on. Gimli looked at the arrow.

" Forty – three," said Legolas.

But he was already dead," said Gimli.

" He was twitching," replied Legolas.

" He was twitching? That's because he's got my axe embedded in his nervous system!" exclaimed Gimli as he shook his axe handle that was sticking out of the orc's head, causing the orc's legs to flop about. Gwen laughed as she joined them.

" Forty – three, eh, Gimli? That's not bad for a midget dwarf," she said coolly.

" How many did you kill?" asked Gimli in indignation.

" Oh, I don't know, I lost count after forty – five," she replied nonchalantly as she turned and walked away. She could here Gimli spluttering in indignation behind her. She smiled to herself, then jumped when loud laughter rang out from behind her. She turned to see Maedron smiling at her. 

" It's not very nice to go sneaking up on people like that!" she scolded as she put a self-conscious hand to her face. _Wait, why do I care so much about how I look all the sudden, _she thought, irritated with herself.

" You seemed to do a very good job riding your horse," he said, referring to her fall back in the Keep. She swatted at him.

" You shouldn't tease people who saved your life! and it was your fault that I fell!" Gwen laughed.

" Saved my life?! I would have gotten along quite well if you hadn't pulled me up onto your crazy horse!" he said in indignation. Gwen rolled her eyes.

" Then I guess the next time you fall off your horse, I'll just leave you there," she said.

" On second thought, you did spare me a very long walk back to the Keep, so thank you," Maedron said. Gwen gave him another swat.

" You are BAD!" she laughed. He laughed with her, his gray eyes shining. A sharp pain in her side cut off her laughter. She clutched it with a grimace.

" I should probably go and find Eowyn and have her patch me up," she said.

" No need to go finding me, I am right here. I figured that with your wound record, I would be needed," said Eowyn as she walked up to Gwen and gave her a hug.

" Oh, just the woman I was looking for!" Gwen said happily as she walked off with Eowyn. Maedron watched her go, then walked over to Legolas and Gimli. 

Gandalf and Aragorn had been watching Gwen and Maedron from a distance. Aragorn looked at Gandalf, who had had a smile on his face while he had been watching the two.

" I am not even going to ask," said Aragorn.

" You are getting wiser everyday," remarked Gandalf. Aragorn laughed and walked off to find some food.

And I am going to end this chapter right there because I have no idea how to proceed with it. No more chapters will be posted until I see Return of the King in (counts on fingers) six days (!). So just sit tight and chill! : ) And REVIEW!!!!

I got two lovely reviews just two days ago : ).

Elmo's hammer: that is THE coolest review I have gotten so far! I just about fell off my computer chair reading it! Thank you so much!

Pandagrrl: your review was also THE coolest review I have ever gotten! I am gonna miss you after class is over! Which is, like, next week! I am gonna miss everybody! Even Morgan! ; ). Thanks so much!!


	20. Chapter 19

DISCLAIMER: As much as I would like it to be, Lord of the Rings is not mine. But Gwen, Maedron, and Skeet are.

Gwen rode Skeet behind Aragorn. Gandalf was leading Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Maedron, and her to Isengard. Gwen looked about her. Trees surrounded them. 

" The forest of Fangorn," whispered Legolas. Gwen nodded her head, the scene of trees killing the fleeing orcs invading her mind, causing her to look about warily. Isengard loomed up ahead. Gwen drew in her breath.

" It looks as if Saruman has installed a very large pond in the middle of his fortress," she remarked.

" Welcome to Isengard, mighty lords!" two young voices piped up. Gwen looked over and saw none other but Merry and Pippin! She laughed gaily. 

" You hobbits, feasting! And smoking!" yelled Gimli with indignation. Gwen laughed again.

" Hobbits," muttered Gandalf under his breath.

" Gwen! Lovely to see you again!" yelled Pippin. 

" Come, Pip, onto my horse with you!" she said as she reached up for him. He settled himself in front of her, still smoking his pipe. Aragorn pulled Merry onto his horse. Maedron looked at Gwen quizzically.

" Oh, excuse my manners! Merry, Pippin, this is Maedron," Gwen said, introducing the three. Maedron nodded at them. Gwen guided Skeet through the mucky water towards Orthanc. Much to her surprise, a giant walking tree came up to Gandalf. She gasped.

" Oh, don't worry Gwen. This is Treebeard. He won't hurt you unless you chop down a tree that he used to know. That was Saruman's mistake," remarked Pippin. Gwen stifled a laugh at the impudent hobbit. Gandalf approached Orthanc with Treebeard.

" Rock and stone, I can handle. But there is a wizard here," said Treebeard, very slowly.

" And here he must remain. That will be your job, Treebeard. Saruman's powers are no longer in him," said Gandalf. Gwen noticed Pippin looking at something in the water.

" What is it, Pip?" she asked softly. Pippin didn't respond as he slid off Skeet and into the water. He reached down and drew from the water a large, black orb. Gwen looked at it warily. Pippin stared into it.

" Pippin, bring that here!" Gandalf commanded sharply. Pippin handed the orb to him and he covered it with his robes. 

" Come on, Pippin," Gwen said softly. She looked at Maedron out of the corner of her eye and noticed he was looking back with an equally disturbed expression. Gandalf began to lead them back to Edoras.

Gwen sat in a table in the Great Hall of Meadowseld. It was packed full of soldiers, all sitting at tables. Theoden raised his glass for a toast.

" To all our fallen comrades! May we never forget what they did!" he said. All agreed and sipped from their cups. Gwen sat with Legolas and Gimli, eating her food. She watched as the hobbits got up on a table and began dancing and singing a hobbit drinking song. She laughed richly at their antics.

" That is the first time you have laughed like that since we were going to Helms Deep!" remarked Gimli.

" When Aragorn had a taste of Eowyn's soup!" she remembered, causing all but Aragorn to laugh.

" My father would have been able to out drink any of these men," she sighed in memory. Gimli laughed, remembering some of the stories she had told him. She smiled and sipped at her wine. Maedron walked over and sat down next to her. She looked at him.

" So, Maedron, now that you are not pulling me out of a horde of orcs and I am not hauling you up onto my horse's back, tell me, where are you from?" she asked curiously,

" Rivendell," he answered simply. Gwen nodded her head.

" How about you?" he asked.

" The Angmar Mountains," she answered, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

" I always thought the elves in those mountains were non existent!" he exclaimed, curiosity alight in his steel gray eyes.

" No, we were there, at one time, but that is a story for another day," she said as she got up to get another drink. Maedron made to follow her, but Legolas restrained him.

" Gwen has a very sad story to tell, do not push her. She will tell you when she is ready," he warned. Maedron nodded his head understandingly. Gwen appeared with more drinks.

" Here, drink up! It may be the last time we are able to sit down for one for a very long time," she said. Gimli took his cup and drained it, giving off a large belch.

" Gimli!" Gwen cried, swatting at him. He laughed and continued drinking. Gwen sat back and enjoyed the happy scene. It began to grow late and many began to stagger towards their beds.

" Gwen, you will stay with me tonight," said Eowyn.

" I'm coming!" she answered with a yawn, " Well, goodnight everybody," she continued as she rose to her feet to follow Eowyn. A chorus of goodnights bade her farewell. She began to walk down the hall.

" Goodnight, Gwen!" Maedron's voice called after her. She turned to him.

" Goodnight, Maedron!" she replied with a sleepy smile. Then she turned and walked down the hall. Once she reached Eowyn's room, she spread some blankets on the fur - covered floor and fell asleep.

Gwen was awakened to yelling from down the hall. She leapt to her feet and quickly wrapped a blanket around her shoulders before running down the hall. The scene she burst in upon chilled her to the bone. Pippin was standing with the Palantir in his hands. Yet at the moment, it was not black, but a glowed as if it were on fire. Merry was watching him with wide eyes. Gwen had no idea what to do. 

" Merry, what did he do?" asked Gwen, her eyes wide with fear.

" He took it from Gandalf and looked at it again! Gwen, what do we do?" he asked. Gwen didn't know. She dare not take the Palantir herself. Running footsteps echoed down the hall. Gwen turned to see Legolas, Aragorn, and Maedron running towards her.

" In here!" she yelled. Aragorn ran in and took the Palantir from Pippin.

" Gandalf, wake up!" yelled Gwen as she shook him. Gandalf jumped up as Aragorn dropped the Palantir. It began to roll. Gandalf grabbed a rag and threw it over the seeing stone.

" Fool of a Took!" he stated in irritation. He then walked over and knelt over Pippin, who was lying prostrate on the ground. Gwen's body trembled as she clutched the blanket around her. Maedron gently put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Gwen's attention remained on Pippin, who Gandalf had succeeded in waking.

" What did you see?" asked Gandalf.

" I saw a white tree. It was burning," he answered, " I also saw him! He was speaking to me, asking questions!" Pippin continued, trembling with fear.

" What did he say?" asked Gandalf.

" He asked me what my name was. I didn't answer," Pippin responded.

" Did he ask you anything about Frodo and the Ring?" Gandalf questioned earnestly. Pippin shook his head. Gandalf then helped him to his feet and brought him before Theoden. Gwen, Maedron, Legolas, and Aragorn followed.

" Pippin is a fool, no doubt. But he is an honest fool. He didn't tell Sauron of Frodo and the Ring," stated Gandalf. Theoden listened.

" Sauron knows now that we have the heir of Elendil. This he fears. He would rather bring Minas Tirith to the ground than have the king take up the throne," Gandalf continued, " If Gondor calls for help, will you answer?"

" Gondor did not help us at Helms Deep, why should we help them?" asked the king. Gandalf looked at him.

" I will go to Gondor, and take a certain hobbit with me," he said, looking pointedly at Pippin. Gwen sighed and headed back to her room. _So, Gandalf is leaving again. Why won't the king help? If we do not fight this evil together, we are sure to lose,_ she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Gandalf was gone in the morning. So was Pippin. Gwen washed up and dressed herself for breakfast. Eowyn had lent her one of her dresses while her's were being mended. Gwen stood in front of a mirror, fussing with her still short hair.

" Gwen, I have never seen you this agitated with your appearance before. What is it?" asked Eowyn.

" It is nothing," Gwen lied. 

" Maybe it is a certain handsome, dark – haired elf," Eowyn said quietly with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face.

" Maybenot!" Gwen retorted. Yet she knew that there was some truth to Eowyn's remark. And Eowyn knew she was right. Gwen had not been the same since she had met Maedron. Something about her had softened, and her eyes always shone when he spoke to her. Gwen tried to fight the burning in her now - flushed face. Eowyn laughed at her.

" Come on, you can't go to breakfast looking like that! If you turn any redder, I fear your face will explode!" Eowyn laughed.  
" Oh, go soak your head!" Gwen said as she threw a pillow at her. Eowyn squealed and swatted Gwen. Gwen leaped back and Eowyn missed.

" Hey, don't swat at the invalid! Do you want to reopen my side?" Gwen asked, referring to the wound she had gotten in Helms Deep.

" Sorry, I forgot about that. How is it?" Eowyn asked, concerned.

" It will be fine as long as certain friends of mine don't go around swatting it!" Gwen replied, looking at Eowyn through narrow eyes, " Now come on, before Gimli eats all the food!" The two women laughed as they walked towards the hall where the others were eating.

The day passed without event. Gwen and Eowyn wandered about, contemplating what was going to happen next. Soon, though, Theoden called for Eowyn and Gwen sought out Aragorn. He was sitting outside of a hut on the edge of Edoras. Gwen sat next to him.

" Aragorn, when will Gandalf be back?" she asked.

" I do not know, Gwen," he answered. Gwen nodded her head as she looked out over the beautiful mountains. Suddenly, a light caught her sensitive eyes.

" Aragorn, what is that?" she asked, standing to her feet. He looked out. Another light came up closer to them.

" It looks like a pillar of fire," Gwen remarked.

" The beacons of Gondor are lit!" he shouted as he sprinted off towards Meadowseld. Gwen followed him. The both burst into the hall.

" The beacons of Gondor are lit! We must go to their aid!" Aragorn said to the king. Theoden looked thoughtful, then called to Eomer.

" Muster the Rohirrim! We go to Gondor!"

Let me just say one thing: Return of the King is BRILLIANT! You will laugh, cheer, clap, despair, and cry. Especially when – wait, that would be ruining it for you, now, wouldn't it? It is the best of the three movies. I just can't believe it is all over! But whatever.

Most of my writing will be from the movie, but I will also pull some stuff from the book. So keep reading! AND REVIEWING! You fuel me to write!

Pandagrrl: Croissants! Yum! ; )


	21. Chapter 20

DISCLAIMER: I asked my mom for Lord of the Rings for Christmas, but I don't think I'll get it. So unless by some miracle I do get Lord of the Rings for Christmas, it isn't mine. Gwen, Maedron, and Skeet, however, are mine! 

Ugh, I need to stop eating these chocolate kisses

* WARNING: Return of the King spoilers. And believe me, they rock!

Gwen looked out over the horizon from the top of the cliff. A path led up the side of it so horses could walk up. Their camp was nestled in a large alcove in the side of the large hill. Down below lay the tents of the Rohirrim and any other men who were going to fight for Gondor. Gwen sighed as a gentle breeze ruffled her hair.

" Enjoying yourself?" asked a voice. Gwen turned to see Maedron standing behind her. She smiled up at him and beckoned him to sit next to her.

" It is so peaceful that you would never know that we were about to go to war," she remarked.

" The calm before the storm," he muttered. 

" I wish that Gandalf were here. He always seems to disappear when we need him most," she said.

" Don't worry, Aragorn knows what he is doing," Maedron reassured her. Gwen was about to say something else when her stomach rumbled. Maedron laughed and pushed himself to his feet.

" Come, you are hungry. I think Gimli is cooking up a stew," he said as he pulled her to her feet. She made a face at the mention of the stew.

" What?" he asked curiously.

" I think I will pass on the stew. Goodness knows what he's put in it this time," she answered.

" But you need to eat. At least it's hot," he tried to reason.

" I am sure I will be able to find some lembas. Legolas probably has a little he can spare," Gwen said. Maedron caught her arm and held her still.

" The stew will make you feel fuller and give you more strength," he said firmly. Gwen rolled her eyes.

" You are not getting it, are you? The only thing that stew is good for is starting fires and poisoning people, savvy?" she calmly explained.

" Well, I am going to eat it, just so I can show you how good it is," Maedron stated stubbornly.

" You do that. Don't say I didn't warn you, though," Gwen told him as they made their way to the fire. Gwen sat down and winked at Legolas. Gimli was stirring a simmering pot of his infamous stew over the fire.

" It is ready. Give me your bowls," he demanded. Maedron looked pointedly at Gwen as he handed Gimli his bowl. She tried not to begin laughing. Maedron got his full bowl back and scooped some of the stew up with a spoon. The moment the noxious liquid touched his tongue, he knew that he should have listened to Gwen. His face turned red and his eyes filled with tears. He swiftly spat it out into the fire and a blue flame shot up. Gwen laughed hysterically. Legolas took pity on the poor elf and handed him some water. Maedron glared at Gwen over the rim of his cup.

" Well, did that pepper plant I found give it a good kick?" Gimli asked earnestly.

" I think Maedron got plenty of kick from the pepper plant!" laughed Gwen. Maedron looked at her indignantly. She smiled innocently at him and offered him some of her lembas.

" We all learned our lesson with Gimli's stew a long time ago, eh, Legolas?" she asked Legolas.

" Yes, I recall you had the exact same reaction as Maedron," Legolas replied airily. Gwen laughed again. Gimli wandered off to sulk, along with his pot of soup. 

Later that evening, Gwen was discussing the content of Gimli's soup when her sensitive elf ears picked up the sound of a horse's hooves. She stopped talking and turned toward the path that went down the hill.

" It's coming up to camp," she said. The three elves stood to their feet. A horse and rider appeared.

" Where is the king?" a familiar voice asked. Gwen could not quite place who it was. But Maedron knew.

" My lord Elrond, he is this way," bowed Maedron as he led Elrond's horse off.

" What is he doing here?" Gwen asked Legolas.

" We will know in the morning," he replied as he went off to his tent. Gwen set off to her's and fell asleep.

Gwen awoke to the sounds of men and horses. She rubbed sleep from her eyes and walked out of the tent. Men were saddling up their horses. Gwen found Eowyn.

" Where is Aragorn?" she asked her. Eowyn looked at her, her eyes flashing.

" He left this morning, through the pass in the mountains!" she replied.

" What pass?" asked Gwen. 

" The Paths of the Dead! He went through there, with Gimli, Legolas, and Maedron," Eowyn replied, looking at her incredulously. Gwen's eyes flashed fire.

" They left without me!" she said through gritted teeth.

" Aragorn and Theoden wished that you would stay with me," Eowyn replied, her voice full of anger. Gwen picked up a stick from the ground and broke it over her knee. _They left me here_ she thought, her rage growing. Eowyn could tell by the look on her face that it would not be good to tell her that Maedron had been the one that had wanted her to stay. Eowyn had understood why. He cared for her and wanted her to be safe. But Gwen didn't need to hear that until she calmed down. Theoden walked up to the two.

" I understand that you will be staying here. It is for the best. Gwen, come here a moment," he said. Gwen followed him out of Eowyn's earshot.

" Stay with my niece and make sure she doesn't do anything insane," he ordered. Gwen nodded her head. After he walked away, Gwen grabbed Eowyn and dragged her into the tent.

" If you have anything insane planned, you had better tell me," Gwen said tightly. Eowyn looked up at her.

" I had a plan. We could disguise ourselves as men and go with my uncle. Your hair is short enough; you could pass for a boy. We will just have to get you a breastplate to pass you off better. We can wear helms to disguise our faces," Eowyn explained. Gwen looked at her.

" Eowyn, that is the most irrational and most insane thing I have ever heard you say," she said calmly. Eowyn's eyes fell.

" I thought that you would like my plan," she muttered.

" I needed to say that so if your uncle happens to see you out there and comes to search me out to chop off my head, I can truthfully tell him that I tried to dissuade you. Now come on, we need to get the mail and helms!" Gwen said, trying to stem her excitement.

The riders were ready to pull out later that morning. Gwen, in her new disguise, mounted a large brown horse by the name of Bryn. She had to leave Skeet behind because, him being brown and white, would be too conspicuous. _Why did I have to get the tight helm, _she wondered, _it shouldn't matter who has more hair to hide._ She rode up next to Eowyn. Both watched Merry pleading with the King to go.

" But all my friends have gone to war!" he said desperatly.

" War is no place for a hobbit. Stay here," commanded the king.

" Doesn't that sound familiar," Gwen muttered. Without a word, Eowyn kicked her horse into motion and grabbed Merry up onto the saddle. Gwen followed.

" Ride with me," Eowyn whispered to him. Merry looked up at Eowyn, then at Gwen, who gave him a silent wink.

" Yes, my ladies," he said happily. They began to ride to Gondor, under the banner of Rohan.

Sadly, I have no lovely new reviewers to thank right now. Sigh well, thank you to those of you who have reviewed in the past!

It is slightly difficult to write about this part of the story because I have only seen the movie once. So bear with me! And READ and REVIEW!!! Especially review!


	22. Chapter 21

DISCLAIMER: as of the moment, I do not own Lord of the Rings. Gwen, Maedron, and Bryn (her new horse) are mine, however, so you do not touch!

Gwen sat on Bryn, looking out over the army of orcs that had massed outside of Gondor. Army was an understatement. Horde was more the word she needed. She gently nudged Eowyn.

" Well, it looks as if we haven't missed all the action," she commented dryly. Eowyn nodded silently. Gwen's helm was driving her insane._ First chance I get, I am flinging this atrusted thing at an orc_ she thought. Theoden rode out in front of his troop.

" Men of Rohan, now is the time to stand together and fight!" he shouted. The men cheered.

"Arise, arise Riders of Theoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword - day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!" he shouted. Trumpets sounded and the horses stamped nervously. Then the King drew his sword and charged forward on his steed, Snowmane. The riders followed.

" YAGH!!" Gwen yelled as they drew nearer to the orcs. She watched them loom closer. Then the riders and the orcs clashed. Gwen yanked off her helm and threw it an orc with all her strength. The orc fell.

" At least it was handy for one thing!" she said to herself. Unsheathing her sword from its scabbard, she swung it in a glittering arc and slew an orc. She kicked Bryn onward, farther into the monstrous horde. Riders all around her fell, their horses screaming. She pressed on, orcs falling away at her sword stroke. The orcs began to flee.

" To me! To me!" shouted the king. Gwen wheeled Bryn around and rode up to Theoden, dispatching an orc with a quick sword thrust.

" Yes, my lord?" she asked. Theoden looked at her and did a double take.

" What in Middle Earth are you doing here, Gwen?" he asked. _Oops, _she thought.

" Well, you see, I didn't much like being left behind, so I snuck along," she replied. _Please don't ask about Eowyn, _she thought frantically.

" What about Eowyn?" he asked. Gwen cringed. She swung her sword at an advancing orc.

" Um" she replied intelligently. A swift thrust of her sword finished the foul creature. He ignored her.

" Never mind, I don't want to know. If she is here, make sure she doesn't get herself killed," he ordered. Gwen nodded. The orcs had pretty much fled into the city at the fierce onslaught. The riders cheered. Gwen joined in, but quickly silenced herself.

" Look!" she shouted, pointing toward Osgiliath. Not very far away marched a large army of men with at least ten Oliphants. Theoden rallied the riders. The huge elephantine creatures plodded along, carrying men and weapons on their massive backs. Gwen caught sight of Eowyn and Merry.

" Eowyn!" she yelled aloud, not thinking. The woman looked at Gwen and motioned her to stay close. Gwen nodded and fell in besides her.

" Charge!" yelled the king, his sword out in front of him. The remaining riders did charge. Gwen drew close and swung her sword in a wide circle, taking out one of the men. She continued to whirl Bryn about madly, thinning out the ranks around her. A rider on her right fell to an enemy's sword. Horses fell, spilling their riders. Gwen looked up from one of her dead comrades to see an Oliphant plunging toward her. She froze momentarily, then whipped Bryn into action. She pulled a spear out of the ground and held it above her head. Then, she kicked Bryn into a gallop so she could get farther in front of the huge creature for a better shot. Once she judged she was far enough, she wheeled Bryn around and threw the spear with all her strength. It smote the Oliphant's heart. Gwen smiled at her success, then her eyes widened as the huge animal crashed to the earth, carried on by the momentum it had from running. Gwen kicked her horse hard, but it was too late. One of the spiked tusks slammed into Bryn, knocking her out from under Gwen. Gwen heard the horrible scream of her horse as she flew through the air.

" Unh!" she grunted as she hit the ground. Without hesitation, she was up on hr feet again, sword in hand. Without daring to look at her poor steed, for she knew that the horse was dead, she ran at one of the men who had been brought down on the Oliphant. 

" Yagh!" she shrieked as she swung at the man with her sword. He blocked and Gwen felt the searing pain of a cutting blade slice through her upper arm. She shrieked in pain and rage. The man brought his face level with her's.

" So, this is the might of Rohan? Are they really so weak that they send their women to fight their battles, wench?!" he grinned, mocking her. Gwen locked eyes with him.

" The women of Rohan fight better than you and your group of worthless, sniveling, dull - witted lot!" she snarled back as she pulled out one of her daggers and slammed it into the man's chest. He looked down in surprise, and then his eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground. Gwen pulled her knife out and wiped it on the grass to get rid of the tainted blood.

" I hate it when I get hurt," she remarked. She then stole a moment to look at her arm. The pain was worse than the actual damage, but just to be safe, she ripped a piece of her cloak and quickly bound it over the wound. When she looked up, it was obvious the tide of battle had turned. The enemy out numbered the Riders by far. Gwen reached out and grabbed the reins of a horse that had lost his rider. She heaved herself onto the beast's back and kicked him into action. Turning, she saw that a great commotion was coming from Osgiliath. Gwen peered closer and saw black sails._ Corsair reinforcements, _she thought, dread weighing down upon her. She swung her sword and took off a man's head. Suddenly, the orcs in Osgiliath began to flee!

" What is going on?" she whispered to herself. Then she saw what was causing the orcs to flee. And she would have done the same, had not Aragorn been leading the chilling army, along with Legolas and Gimli. Dead corpses were advancing on the enemy, killing all in their path. Gwen was about to ride to them when one of the Oliphants who was still lumbering about thundered towards her on the right. Again, she borrowed a weapon from a fallen soldier. This time, though, it was a bow and arrow. She looked at it and made a face.

" I hate these contraptions," she grumbled as she loaded the arrow and pulled the string back. Taking aim, she let it fly at the huge creature, knowing that with a target that huge she was bound to hit something. Pure luck took hold and she hit the animal in the throat, bringing it down. Remembering her experience from last time, she swiftly kicked her horse and got out of the way. 

" Gwen?!" cried a surprised voice. Gwen looked down to see Gimli hacking his way towards her.

" Gimli!" she yelled joyfully.

" What are you doing here, missy?" he asked.

" I didn't fancy being left behind. Neither did Eowyn!" she added. He blinked up at her, knowing Maedron would not be pleased when he saw her. Gimli was about to warn her of this when an Oliphant caught his eye. Gwen looked at the animal and there, climbing up it's side, was Legolas!

" What on earth does he think he is trying to accomplish?" she asked Gimli, her eyes never leaving the reckless elf. Gimli gave no reply as they both went on to watch Legolas cut the bindings that held the huge saddle into place, then go on to kill the Oliphant and slide effortlessly down the falling creature's trunk. 

" That only counts as one!" yelled Gimli

Gwen rolled her eyes at the elf who now stood before her.

" So, what do you call that?" she asked. He shook his head and smiled.

" Gwen, Maedron is going to pop a few blood vessels when he sees you here!" he said. Gwen looked at him quizzically.

" Why?" she asked.

" Because he- " a Nazgul screech cut off Legolas' answer. Gwen gasped and shrank in her saddle, her eyes radiating fear.

" Nazgul!" she whispered. Without warning, the horse beneath her reared up and pawed the air with his hooves. He then leapt forward and hit the ground at full gallop. Gwen clung to his back and fought for control.

" Whoa!" she yelled over and over, tugging on the mad beast's reins. As quickly as he had run away, the horse stopped. Gwen did not, however. She shot over the horse's head and slammed into the ground. She pushed herself up with a groan. When she looked up, the sight before her made her want to curl up on the ground again. Eowyn was standing before the Witch King, sword in hand, protecting a wounded Theoden.

" I will KILL you if you TOUCH him!" she hissed.

" Stand aside, mortal," the foul being snarled back.

" Oh, Eowyn, don't do anything stupid," Gwen whispered to herself, unable to move.

" No!" the shield maiden replied.

' It is not written that a man will slay me," the Witch King said.

" But I am no man!" Eowyn stated boldly as she pulled off her helmet. Gwen heard Theoden gasp. The Witch King raised his mace and chain above his head and brought it down upon Eowyn's shield, crushing it. Gwen tried to scream as she heard a sickening crunch. Eowyn's arm was broken, she knew. The Nazgul walked forward toward Eowyn. Suddenly, he screeched and fell to his knees. Merry had stabbed him in the back of the leg. Eowyn seized this opportunity to finish him off. Summoning all her strength, she grasped her sword and slammed it into the opening of the Witch King's helm. Gwen covered her ears as the Nazgul gave one final shriek, then was silent forever. Gwen looked up and saw Eowyn lying next to the crumpled clothing of the Witch King. The orcs, upon seeing the great Witch King slain, had fled. They were met by the swift blades of the dead. Minas Tirith was saved. Gwen, upon seeing Eowyn on the ground, found her voice. 

" Eowyn!" she cried as she ran forward to her friend's crumpled body. Tears began to course down her dirty cheeks as she sobbed for her friend. Getting down on her knees, she gently cradled Eowyn's head.

" Gwen?!" yelled a familiar voice. Gwen lifted her tearstained face to meet the dark eyes of Maedron. He ran to her.

" What are you doing here?" he demanded. Gwen ignored him. He looked down at Eowyn, then back up at Gwen. Gently, he reached out and stroked Gwen's cheek. Gwen sniffled. 

" We must get her inside the city," she whispered. Maedron nodded.

" Aragorn!" he yelled. Aragorn walked over and, upon seeing Gwen with Eowyn, his face grew pale. He bent down and looked at Eowyn. 

" She lives. Get someone to bear her inside to the House of Healing," he said softly. Gwen nodded. Soon, men bearing a stretcher arrived. Gwen watched as they gently lifted her friend up onto it and carried her through the gates and into Minas Tirith. Gimli and Legolas joined Gwen and Maedron.

" Come, you have much to tell, and you are hurt" said Maedron. Gwen nodded and followed the three of them towards the gate.

Yes, I know it is very sad. But hey, I love drama. Keep reading and reviewing!

Pandagrrl: yeah, I thought about looking for a script. That would probably be a good idea. Yes, Legolas was ht at the end! But I preferred him in his traveling clothes. Something about rugged manliness Thanks for reviewing!


	23. Chapter 22

DISCLAIMER: Lord of the Rings isn't mine, and that's all there is to it. Gwen and Maedron are mine, and that's that! Oh, and Gwen's nurse is mine too.

Gwen paced outside of Eowyn's room in the House of Healing, waiting for news of her friend's condition.

" Gwen, you must sleep," begged Maedron. She ignored him and continued her vigil. A couple of hours ago, Aragorn had kicked her out of the room and gone in with an old nurse named Ioreth. Gwen had not left the door since.

" You are exhausted, your arm is hurt, you have been fighting and riding all day and probably longer, and on top of it all, you haven't eaten or had anything to drink since you staggered up here three hours ago. You haven't slept since who knows when. Please, go rest. I will wake you if Aragorn brings any news," he continued relentlessly. Gwen turned on him in irritation at his constant begging.

" I am not leaving this door until I know whether she is alive or dead, and if you do not like it, then YOU leave!" she hissed angrily as she turned her back and began to walk back and forth again. Maedron watched her, silently admiring her stubbornness and loyalty to her friend. Gwen stumbled and he grabbed her uninjured arm and caught her.

" Gwen, you can barely walk. Go to sleep," he said firmly. She turned on him again, this time in tears.

" I do not want to leave," she said very slowly, as if he were stupid.

" I shouldn't have let her leave the camp in Rohan. I could have done something to stop her!" Gwen went on as she stared at the door. Maedron grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

" You know very well that Eowyn would have left even if you had tried to stop her. She is as strong willed as you are," he said. Gwen stood, silently contemplating the truth in what he said. _He is right. I wanted to go as badly as she did. I just didn't think THIS would happen,_ she thought to herself. Maedron seized this opportunity of stillness and picked Gwen up.

" Hey, what are you doing/" she said in protest. 

" Taking you to one of these nurses so you can get some food, sleep, and have your arm looked at. It will do you no good to protest, I am not taking you back to that door to pointlessly exhaust yourself. I honestly don't know how you do it. When was the last time you slept and had a decent meal? Probably not since you rode out yesterday. You have been riding a horse and fighting all day long, been hurt in probably more than one place, and you manage to walk all the way up to the House of Healing, AND pace for hours in front of a closed door. Do you see my point? (pause) Gwen?" he said as he looked down at the still form in his arms. Gwen had obviously fallen asleep during the first two sentences of his tirade. He shrugged and walked n in silence. Soon, he ran into a nurse, who, upon taking one look at the girl in his arms, ushered him into an empty room.

" Lay her down there," said the woman, pointing at the empty bed. Maedron did so and the nurse pushed him out of the room.

" You go on now, you look almost as tired as she does. I will take good care of her. My name is Nori, if you have any questions," she said quickly as she shut the door. Maedron looked at the door for a moment, slightly baffled at what had happened in the last minute, then went on to the room that he was sharing with Legolas and Gimli. They were not there, so he took a chair and sat down in front of the fire and began to think. His thoughts were disrupted when Aragorn walked into the room.

" How is Eowyn?" Maedron asked.

" Eowyn will survive, although she is badly hurt," Aragorn replied as he pulled a chair up to the fire.

" I had to carry Gwen away from the door to get her to sleep. She was quite irritated," Maedron remarked. Aragorn smiled.

" Gwen doesn't like to be hurt. It makes her angry, and with what happened to Eowyn, it was all too much for her," said Aragorn. Maedron nodded. 

" She feels like she should have made Eowyn stay," the elf said. Aragorn thought for a moment, then answered.

" The chances of Gwen making Eowyn stay were the same as you trying to make Gwen stay," he said. Maedron looked up.

" I didn't want her to be hurt. I wanted to have the assurance of riding back to that camp and meeting her there. It obviously didn't work," he said.

" Both are very stubborn and strong willed women. But talk to Gwen. Tell her why you wanted her to stay. I think she will understand," said Aragorn as he stood up and opened the door. Maedron nodded good night as he walked out. He then sat for a while, contemplating Aragorn's words.

Gwen awoke when a sunray from the window shone down upon her face. She yawned and stretched, then winced as her battle weary body complained. She was lying in a soft bed, covered in warm blankets. The room was somewhat small, but very cozy with the fire going in the fireplace. Gwen pushed herself up for a moment and, remembering Eowyn, began to rise to change out of the nightgown and put her clothes on. Before she could get out of bed, however, the nurse Nori bustled into the room.

" Now, don't you get up just yet. I was only able to get a short look at your arm last night. Now is the time to fix it up right," she said as she began putting bandages and a bowl of hot water on the bed. Gwen looked at the bowl warily, knowing how badly the water was going to hurt. 

" Now, just you hold still for a moment, and it will all be over before you know it," Nori said cheerily, as if she was about to enjoy the torturous remedy she was about to apply. Gwen pulled up the sleeve of her nightgown and winced at the sight of her wound. Although is was not as bad as wounds she had received in the past, Nori was right, she hadn't been able to give it proper care the night before. The wound was covered in dry blood and had grown tight, so Gwen couldn't flex her arm.

" Oh dear, it's gong to take longer than I thought," said Nori. Gwen watched with wide eyes as Nori brought the steaming rag to the wound. At the last second, Gwen stuffed a sheet corner in her mouth to keep from crying out loud. Legolas, Gimli, and Maedron, who were standing outside and down the hall, heard a loud, animal - like screech. All three of them turned down the hall.

" What on earth was that?" asked Gimli.

" It sounds like it came from Gwen's room," Legolas said slowly. They walked down the hall and toward her door. Inside, Nori was proceeding to scrub at Gwen's arm. Gwen was sitting on her bed, eyes shut tightly with the sheet clenched in her teeth. It seemed like an eternity before Nori was satisfied that the wound was clean enough.

" There, that should do. Now hold still while I bandage it up, and for goodness sake, stop whining!" she ordered. Gwen had to use all her self-control to keep from pushing the woman in the fire. She knew Nori meant well, but her bedside manner wasn't the greatest.

" Is it almost done?" Gwen asked as the woman wound a good yard of bandage around Gwen's upper arm.

" Patience is a virtue," Nori sang out. Gwen rolled her eyes.

" Yes, patience is a virtue," came a hushed voice towards the door. Gwen grabbed one of her knives and, before Nori could move, she threw it at the door with all her strength, burying it in the wood up to the hilt. Gwen was satisfied to hear three gasps from the door. Nori glared at Gwen.

" Now why did you have to do that?" she asked angrily. Gwen motioned towards the door. Nori went and opened it and saw the three outside.

" You three go somewhere else, there is a wounded girl inside and I am trying to treat her! How would you like it if you were hurt and was being laughed at? Leave us alone!" she scolded them.

" Yes, Maedron, it isn't nice to laugh at hurt girls who are being treated," said Gwen, a twinkle in her eye. Nori glared at her, then turned to the knife, which had gone clean through the door and was protruding out on the other side.

" Land sakes, how did you throw this hard enough to get it through the door on both sides? And who is going to pull it out?" she asked in awe as she surveyed the damage. Maedron stepped forward.

" Allow me," he said as he effortlessly pulled the blade from the door and walked into the room.

" Now, Gwen, hurt girls shouldn't be throwing sharp, pointy objects at he door," he said as he set it on a table out of her reach and ruffled her short hair. Gwen batted his hand away with a smile.

" Oh, get on with you, Nori still has work to do," Gwen said, indicating her throbbing arm.

" Then you must come see us when you are up and about," said Legolas.

" The food is excellent! We will have some brought for you," added Gimli. Gwen laughed as the three of them walked down the hall, going on in detail of the lovely food. Nori snorted and walked back over to the bed.

" Men, always thinking with their stomachs. There, all finished," she said as she tied the bandage. Gwen looked down at her arm.

" Thank you, it looks very good," said Gwen, for Nori had done a fine job. Nori beamed with pleasure.

" Now, I will go get your clothes and help you dress. No, don't you protest, I'll not have you messing with the bandage," she said as she walked out of the room. A few minutes later, she entered again with Gwen's clothing. Both women then proceeded to get Gwen out of the nightgown and into her clothes. 

" Oh, my word, how did you do that?" Nori asked at the sight of the long scar on Gwen's back.

" Oh, an orc gave that to me. Aragorn had to stitch it up," Gwen said as she pulled on her tights. Nori shuddered as she helped Gwen get her underdress over her head. After she was dressed, Gwen left her room and went to find Eowyn. The door to Eowyn's room was open, so she entered.

" Ah, I was hoping you would come soon," Eowyn said weakly. Gwen was delighted to find her alive and awake.

" Oh, sorry I didn't come by sooner. A nurse was busy scalding and binding my arm," Gwen said as she made a face. Eowyn managed a weak laugh. Gwen sat on the floor next to her bed and gave her a detailed report of all that had happened while she had been asleep, causing Eowyn more laughter. Aragorn walked into the room as Gwen finished.

" Gwen, come, the others are waiting, and you need to eat and Eowyn must rest," he said. Gwen nodded and pushed herself to her feet.

" I hate to leave you. But Aragorn is right," Gwen said regretfully. Eowyn smiled at her.

" Go on now, I am sure Maedron is anxious to see you," Eowyn teased her. Gwen blushed and headed out the door. Aragorn walked with her down to the room that the others were in, a slight smile on his face. 

" Sit, Gwen," he said, motioning her into a seat near Gimli. 

" Now, we all know that Frodo and Sam are in Mordor on their way to Mount Doom. Our hearts tell us that he is still alive," said Aragorn as he walked to the front of the room.

" Sauron has not even begun to think that we would seek to destroy the Ring, so he does not know where it is," said Gandalf.

" We must draw his watchful eye out of Mordor to give the hobbits more of a chance of success. We have decided to challenge Sauron at the Black Gate," stated Aragorn.

" Will he take that bait?" Gwen asked.

" A small army, little hope for success or survival. I think he will accept," said Gimli. Gwen nodded her head in agreement.

" He would accept just to have the satisfaction of crushing us," said Maedron.

" We ride tomorrow at dawn. Be ready, for you will ride with me," said Aragorn. The group dispersed, Gwen walking out with Gimli, Maedron, and Legolas.

" Well, what with war looming up again, I think I shall go sharpen my knives," said Gwen as she headed off towards her room. Maedron turned after her as if he were going to call to her, but could not bring himself to. So he watched her go down the hall, sadness weighing heavily on his heart. 

Oh my, I didn't realize how close I was to the end! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year! Keep reading and reviewing!

Pandagrrl: my review button is working? Surprise surprise! My computer browser is being a butt and refuses to let me log into my email account sometimes, so I have to come here to see if I have any reviews until my computer decides to let me in to my email again. I hate computers. But thank you for reviewing, even though I was practically groveling for you to do so ; )


	24. Chapter 23

DISCLAIMER: Lord of the Rings is not mine, at least not yet. I will tell you all the moment I own it, okay? Gwen, Maedron, and Gwen's new horse Nirod are mine. But you all know that by now. Except for the new horse, because he is new. But other than him, you know all the rest by now.

Gwen strode down the hall in the House of Healing to Eowyn's room to have one last chat before she left. Gwen knocked timidly on the door, for it was later in the evening.

" Yes?" came Eowyn's voice from inside.

" It's just me. May I come in?" Gwen asked.

" Of course! I was hoping you would come see me before you left," Eowyn said as Gwen opened the door.

" Well, you're looking a sight better!" Gwen exclaimed. She was right. The color had returned to Eowyn's cheeks and her voice had grown a bit stronger. 

" I feel so much better. And it hasn't even been that long!" said Eowyn.

" We are leaving tomorrow at dawn," Gwen said. Eowyn made a face.

" I wish I was going with you," she said mournfully.

" I am sorry Eowyn, but I am not sneaking you off under my cloak, or some other out of the question way! Besides, I hear that you are not the only one being denied battle rights. There is a young captain of Gondor just down the hall, so if you get bored or frustrated with being left here to relax in a nice, safe bed, I am sure you can go have lunch with him on the terrace and moan about being left behind. Or better yet, tell him of your previous escapade!" Gwen said with a laugh. A second later, she was forced to duck the pillow that Eowyn had slung at her. Gwen squealed and threw up her arms. Eowyn laughed and put the pillow down.

" I hear that you are riding off with a man of your own!" she teased.

" What is that supposed to mean?" Gwen asked innocently as she turned pink.

" You know very well who I mean! A certain elf who has hardly been able to keep his eyes off you!" exclaimed Eowyn. Gwen looked down in embarrassment. Eowyn looked at the pretty elf maiden, thinking _he hasn't told her anything of how he feels. Gwen loves him so much._ Instead of voicing her thoughts, however, Eowyn pulled up another pillow and lightly hit Gwen upside the head.

" Aye!" Gwen yelled as she tried to block Eowyn's fierce onslaught.

" Oh, come on! You were battling swords and spears all day two days ago, and now you are squealing over a pillow?" Eowyn laughed. Gwen caught the pillow. 

" Eowyn, you are forgetting your broken arm!" she warned her friend. Eowyn stopped swatting at her and made another face.

" Oh, come on! Let's just relax. This is the last time I may sit in a bed for a while," Gwen said. So that is exactly what they did until late that night when Gwen walked back to her room and fell asleep.

" Gwen! Wake up!" yelled Maedron as he pounded on her door. It was an hour before dawn, almost time to go. Gwen groaned as she pushed herself out of bed.

" Okay, okay! Let me get dressed!" she mumbled as she pulled on her clothes. She walked out a few minutes later.

" Are we leaving soon?" she asked him.

" Within the hour, at least. Here is some breakfast. When you are done with that, I will take you to see your new horse," he said as he handed her a steaming bowl of soup. She looked at it warily.

" Gimli didn't make that, right?" she asked him. 

" No! Aragorn wouldn't have allowed that!" he said with a laugh. Gwen spooned a bit of the soup into her mouth as they began walking.

" So, I get another new horse?' she asked.

" Yes, you do. You seem to go through horses faster than most," he said with a sideways glance at her.

" It wasn't my fault that my other one took off on me when the Nazgul screamed!" she cried as she swatted at him.

" But you did get Bryn killed," he said solemnly. Gwen nodded her head sadly. Bryn had been a good horse. But then she brightened.  
" Oh, hush yourself and stop reminding me of all the damage I have done!" she said. He smiled and looked down at her. Gwen was in full battle regalia. Her long sword was at her belt and her two long daggers were strapped across her back, so she somewhat clanked as she walked down the hall. She had washed the night before under Nori's orders, so she was nice and clean.

" So, lead me on to my new steed!" Gwen said as she finished her soup.

" This way," Maedron said as he led her out into the streets. The wind was blowing softly, ruffling his long black hair. Gwen watched him as they walked and noticed how the gazes of women lingered longer on him than on other men. _He IS very handsome,_ she thought as she walked along besides him. Without thinking, she giggled silently. But not so silent that Maedron didn't hear.

" What are you laughing at?" he asked. She smiled slyly.

" Oh haven't you noticed, Maedron, that all the women in the city have their eyes on you?" she asked, one of her eyebrows arched.

" I don't know what you are talking about!" he cried in indignation, turning slightly red.

" You can't be that ignorant! Look at them all drooling over you! The handsome elf from Rivendell!" she said with a mock swoon. He grabbed her and swept her up into his arms and began tickling her as he walked.

" Yeek! Put me down you villain!" Gwen shrieked as he walked down the street with her, causing more women to stop and stare. That is how they entered the stables. 

" Ha ha ha!" laughed Gimli as he caught sight of them. Legolas turned and smiled. Maedron set Gwen down in front of a stall.

" Here is your horse," he said as Gwen regained her composure.

" Maedron, he is huge," she said as soon as she saw the great beast. The horse was huge. When Gwen stood next to it, her head barely reached its back. Despite its size, the horse looked very graceful and limber. Muscle stood out clearly from it's roan hide.

" I know, he is a bit big. But, I rode him out myself, and he is a very good horse," said Maedron as Gwen circled the animal. When she reached its front, it brought it's slender head down and began looking for treats. 

" Maedron, hand me an apple," Gwen said with a laugh. He complied and she fed it to the horse.

" His name is Nirod," said Maedron as he watched the girl and the horse. Gwen nodded and began speaking to the horse in elvish as she brushed out his fiery hide, making it shine. Soon she had him saddled and ready to go. Aragorn walked into the stables just as she finished.

" Aragorn, are we ready?" she asked. He looked at her.

"Gandalf is waiting outside the gates with the army. Mount your horse, we are ready," he said. Gwen began leading Nirod out of the stables and into the sunlight where she could better mount him. Throwing the reins over his neck, she placed her foot in the stirrup, which was so high that she was stuck hoping up and down on one foot. Once she got a grip on the saddle, she began to pull herself up. Pain shot through her shoulder, causing her to draw her breath in sharply and loose her grip on the saddle. She fell to the ground, quite angry at her injury. Gritting her teeth, she put her foot in the stirrup again. This time she couldn't even grab the saddle before she lost her balance and fell to the side with a cry of frustration.

" Gwen, hold on," said Maedron as he rode out on his horse. Once he dismounted, he walked over to her.

" Give me your foot," he ordered as he held out his hands. Gwen did so. 

" On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!" he cried as he lifted her up. Gwen threw her right leg over the saddle and sat in it triumphantly. He smiled up at her as he put her left foot in the stirrup.

" I guess I'll need to find a rock or something from now on," she said. 

" Or just yell for me," said Maedron as he got back on his horse.

" Thank you," Gwen said softly. 

" My pleasure," he said with a smile as he steered his horse up next to her's. Gwen's horse was so tall that although she was a bit shorter than Maedron, she could see eye level with him. Legolas rode out of the stable on Arod with Gimli sitting behind him. Aragorn came behind them with Pippin in front of him.

" Come, to Pelennor Fields!" he cried and took off down the winding streets of Minas Tirith. The four of them followed him. Once on the fields, they met Gandalf and the army. Gwen looked out upon the army that had amassed for the stand at the Black Gate. They were not much, but would be enough for a distraction. Aragorn held up Anduril and all went silent.

" We ride to Mordor, to the Black Gate to challenge Sauron!" he cried and kicked his horse into a gallop. The men roared and followed. Gwen fell in behind him in between Legolas and Maedron. They rode in silence, knowing what was about to befall them. For the first time in her life, Gwen was unable to shake off the fear that was growing in her heart.

I began to write this chapter with every intention of getting right to the battle, but then I thought it would do the story a little better to have a little more dialogue between Gwen and Maedron. But they next chapter will cover the battle to the best of my remembrance, so hang tight and REVIEW!


	25. Chapter 24

DISCLAIMER: Do I look like Tolkien to you? Nope! That means that I do not own Lord of the Rings! I am the proud owner of Gwen, that hot elf Maedron, and Nirod, Gwen's new giant horse! And Toryn, Maedron's horse, who is only mentioned, like, once.

Aragorn led the army to Osgiliath. As they rode through, Gwen watched the people of the city repairing destroyed parts. After passing through the city and crossing the River, they rode five miles more, then stopped to make camp. Gwen pulled the saddle off Nirod and tied him to a tree near Maedron's horse, Toryn. She walked over to the campfire to see Gimli stooping about, a handful of plants in his hand.

" Oh, no," she mumbled just loud enough for Legolas and Maedron to hear. They turned and watched Gimli.

" One guess as to what that is all for," said Legolas. They all knew before Maedron spoke the chilling words.

" Gimli's soup," he stated. Gwen turned to him.

" Oh, Maedron, you should eat some just to prove how good it is to me so I will eat it," she said in imitation of Maedron's last encounter with the dreaded soup. He scowled at her.

" Oh, yes, I would certainly love that," he said sarcastically. Gwen laughed at the surly elf. She turned and opened her pack to see what Nori had put in it. Much to her delight, she found and assortment of pastries, rolls, pieces of dried meat, and a few apples. Leisurely, she pulled out one frosted pastry and began to chew it slowly. Maedron was the first to notice.

" Where did you get that?" he asked as he scooted closer to her. Legolas did the same on her other side, eyeing the pastry hungrily. 

" Oh, just on the ground," she said with a shrug as she finished it.

" Come on, Gwen. You aren't cruel enough to leave us to eat Gimli's stew now, are you?" Maedron pleaded. Gwen looked at him incredulously.

" I wouldn't be surprised. She would just do it to watch us starve or die of food poisoning," voiced Legolas. Gwen laughed at the elf.

" Oh, here you are," she said as she tossed her food pack at them, " but don't scarf it all down, you hear?" They fell upon it eagerly. Gimli, upon seeing them filling their stomachs, gave up on his stew and joined them.  
" Hey, pointy ears, give me that roll!" he said gruffly to Maedron. He threw the roll to Gimli. After they were done eating, they dozed off with full bellies.

A few days later, they reached the Black Gate. They had marched on foot from Osgiliath, leaving the horses. Gwen stared at the foreboding structure. The Ringwraiths hovered about it on their frightful steeds. Gwen was more afraid now than she had ever been during her entire life. More than when she had gone back to her home on that far away day and found all she had ever known was dead or burned. More than when she had been trapped in Moria, or when Eowyn and her had snuck away to Pelennor Fields. All those times, she had been able to dismiss her fear by simply not thinking about it. The only problem was that this time, fear was all she could think about. Unconsciously, her hand wandered up to her throat, where her mother's black stone hung around her neck. Galadriel's words came back to her, _Wherever you go, your mother will go with you. _Gwen had forgotten them, yet now they came to her in a rush. She closed her eyes and let images of her mother and Galadriel come back to her from the depths of her memories, causing her eyes to brim up with tears. More images from her past came back with them, ones of her father and mother together, and more recent ones of the Shire and the Gamgees. Gwen drew her breath in sharply as a tear seeped out of her closed eye. Then a strange thing happened. Strong arms went around Gwen's waist, and she felt herself being pulled close to someone. She opened her eyes and looked into Maedron's. He held her tightly against himself as she put her head against his shoulder. Her tears disappeared as he ran his hand through her hair. Gently, he kissed her soft cheek as she put her arms around his neck. They held each other for a long moment, then let go.

" Stay near me, Gwen," Maedron said as he grasped her hand. Gwen smiled, happiness welling up in her heart, despite the looming possibility of death. She turned and saw that Legolas and Gimli stood next to her. They appeared to be oblivious to what had just happened between Gwen and Maedron, but Gimli was trying to hide a smile.

" I never thought I would die standing next to an elf," remarked Gimli, looking up at Legolas.

" How about next to a friend?" Legolas asked. Gimli smiled and nodded. Legolas turned and placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder.

" You too, you know," he said.

" I know," she said, patting his hand. 

" Well, missy, let's hope your luck holds out. Last time I watched you fight, I swear you could have been killed ten times!" exclaimed Gimli. Gwen laughed at the dwarf. _Yes, let's hope it does, _she thought. 

" You best watch yourself instead of me, Master Dwarf. You yourself had some pretty close calls last time," she laughed. Gimli looked at her in indignation.

" Come! Let us go challenge Sauron!" said Aragorn. Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Gwen, and Maedron followed him to the Gate.

" The King Elessar comes to reclaim his lands! Come out and fight, lord of the Black Land!" he shouted. Gwen heard the gate begin to creak and watched as it slowly swung outward. Aragorn and the rest of the company turned and ran back to the front of the army. The Gate opened all the way to reveal a huge horde of orcs and trolls. Aragorn turned to them, what remained of the Fellowship.

" For Frodo!" he cried, then turned and charged. Pippin charged right along with him, waving his sword about in the air.

" Yagh!" Gwen yelled as she whipped out her sword and began to run towards the orc army. The two armies clashed and the sound of swords meeting rang through he air. Gwen hewed at an orc, killing it. Another came up on her right, bringing it's sword above it's head for the kill. Gwen parried the blow, kicked the orc low in the stomach, and finished it off with a quick thrust of her sword. Gwen turned and threw herself sideways as a monstrous troll slammed it's club into the ground where she had stood. Gwen pulled out one of her daggers and, taking aim, threw it at the troll with all her strength. The creature fell, her knife buried in it's throat. Gwen retrieved her knife and, putting her sword back in it's sheath, pulled out her other knife and began whirling about, her blades flashing in a wheel of death. A great force hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground. She glared up at an orc.

" Well, what 'ave we got here?" the foul creature hissed as he ran his blade lightly across Gwen's smooth neck, leaving a thin line of blood. She recklessly hit his blade aside with one of her knives, then drove the other through his heart. With a yell of disgust, Gwen threw the corpse aside and fought off another orc. Maedron fought his way toward her.

" Gwen!" he yelled when he saw the blood on her throat. She put her hand to her neck and drew it back, a thin line of blood on her palm.

" It's nothing! The orc didn't cut deep!" she yelled back. He nodded and put his back to her. She turned and together they fought, back to back, a circle of death. Gwen could hear Gimli over to her left.

" Thirty-three, thirty-four'" he was saying. Gwen laughed at the dwarf and looked for Legolas. He appeared on her right. Gwen then turned and saw a troll thundering toward Aragorn. 

" Aragorn!" she yelled and broke away from Maedron, fighting her way toward him. 

"Gwen?!" yelled Maedron as he watched her run off. Aragorn was fighting off an orc, unaware of the danger behind him. Gwen ran up behind the troll and leapt onto it's back, driving her knives into it's hide to pull herself up. The beast cried out and slowed down, alerting Aragorn to it's presence. Gwen continued to climb up it's back, up towards the head. Aragorn turned and brought his sword up, but he knew he could not fight the beast off.

" Gwen, what are you doing?!" he yelled upon seeing her scaling the troll's back.

" Saving the king of Gondor!" she yelled as she pulled both her knives up and delivered the killing blow to the troll. The troll let out a howl and, before he died, grabbed Gwen and flung her from his back. Aragorn watched in horror as Gwen slammed and skidded into the ground a few feet away from him. Before he could go to her, another orc set himself upon him.

Gwen groaned as she struggled to push her throbbing body up off the ground. She could tell immediately that the troll had broken some of her ribs with the strength of it's grasp. Struggling for air, she rolled over onto her back so she could breathe better. When she looked up, she was horrified to see the Nazgul wheeling above her. The Wraiths were flying their fearsome steeds low to the ground, bowling men over.

" Maedron!" Gwen gasped, remembering where she had left him. Before she could get up, one of the Nazgul's mounts swooped down over her, it's razor sharp teeth hovering a foot over her body. It sniffed her and, finding her to be a satisfactory meal, brought it's head down to tear into her. Gwen shut her eyes, anticipating the moment of the first bite. It never came. Instead, an eagle swooped down from the sky and slammed full force into the foul beast. The two creatures proceeded to fight in the air until the eagle was joined by another and, between the two of them, they killed the Nazgul's mount. More eagles wheeled above her, doing battle with the other Wraith's mounts.

" The eagles have come!" shouted Gandalf. 

Gwen began to breathe again, though painfully. She struggled to push herself up, but was knocked to her feet as the earth below her heaved.

" It is done! The Ring of Power has been destroyed!" she heard Gandalf shouting. 

" Gwen!" yelled Maedron as he fell to his knees next to her.

" Maedron, pull me up! I want to see!" she pleaded desperately. He nodded and gently put his arms underneath her aching body and lifted. She stood to her feet and looked on into Mordor. Mount Doom was spewing lava and Minas Morgul was collapsing. Gwen watched in fascination as the Eye of Sauron looked about itself spastically, as if it couldn't believe what was happening.

" Look at him! My goodness, I have never seen an eye look so funny!" Gwen laughed, then winced. Maedron held her up as he watched. When the tower hit the ground, a wave was set out from it, knocking Gwen and Maedron backwards, along with all the other men. The earth began to split, forming a great chasm around Mordor. It continued to go around the army, and the horde of orcs and trolls fell into oblivion. Gwen looked around in amazement. Men were beginning to stand to their feet. Maedron pushed himself up, then bent over and lifted Gwen up into his arms. 

" Oh, put me down! Agh!" she cried. He dropped her feet and looked at her, concern filling his eyes.

" Gwen, are you going to be alright?" he asked anxiously.

" Yes! As long as you don't go picking me up like that!" she said. Gimli and Legolas walked over to hear them.

" Are you sure?" asked Maedron.

" Maedron, it's just a couple of broken ribs! It's happened before. Probably the same ones too," she said in mock exasperation. Gimli laughed.

" Yes. Like when we lost you in Moria!" he said. Gwen smiled. Aragorn walked over to them.

" It is finished!" he exclaimed as he held his sword aloft. All them men started cheering. 

" What about Frodo and Sam? I miss his cooking!" Gwen asked.

" I have sent Gwaihir to fetch them," said Gandalf, referring to the eagle lord. Gwen smiled, happy to know that the hobbits would be back. 

" Come, let us go back to Gondor," said Aragorn. Thus the weary army began the long march home.

Oh yeah! Uh huh! It is OVER! O - V - E - R!!!! Well, not my story, there is still at least one chapter left. But the War of the Ring!! OMIGOSH!!! What am I going to write about? Hmm maybe I should move on to _Pirates of the Caribbean,_ which, at the moment, by brother is watching. Will Turner!! YOWZA!! Hey, now that you have read this chapter, go click the review button and review it!!

Pandagrrl: No, that just means that Skeet is tormenting some poor stable boy back in Rohan. I don't know why I emailed that to you! I forgot that I could respond right here!


	26. Chapter 25

DISCLAIMER: I asked my mom if there was any way I was distantly related to Tolkien. She laughed at me and said no. That means that there is no way that I could possibly own Lord of the Rings, not even a small part of it. I own Gwen and Maedron, though! Hey, this is the last time I will have to write a disclaimer for this story!! Whoa.

Gwen awoke much like she had the last time she was in the House of Healing. The sun was on her face, the birds were singing, and her side was throbbing. Nori hadn't let Gwen get up since the weary army had marched into Minas Tirith three days ago. The poor elf maiden was beginning to go a little crazy, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. Gingerly, she pushed herself up out of bed and began to make her way across the room where her clothes were lying out.

" Goodness sake, what do you think you are doing?!" Nori asked as she walked into the room. Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed. She was caught!

" Nori, you have kept me in bed for the last three days. Please, can I go out? I promise I won't go jump on a horse or anything," Gwen pleaded. Nori looked at the girl for a moment.

" Oh, all right," she said with an exasperated sigh. Gwen smiled happily and picked up her tunic.

" Oh, no you don't! I said you could go out, I didn't say you could wear that! Wait here," Nori commanded as she walked out the door. Gwen sat a chair and waited. Just wen she was ready to throw on her old clothing, she heard Nori's footsteps coming down the hall. The woman walked into the room with two large baskets over her arms.

" First, you are going to have a nice, long bath. I have brought some of my soap from home and some towels. Call for me when you finish your bath. Then, we will get you dressed like a _lady_," Nori said, putting emphasis on the word 'lady'. Gwen knew resistance was futile, so she waited until Nori filled the large tub with hot water, then got in. The water was luxuriously warm, and the light scent of lavender floated through the room as Gwen bathed. Once she was finished, she got out and wrapped one of the soft, fluffy towels around her body, wincing at the dark bruises on her torso. 

" Nori!" she called. At least five other women bustled in with Gwen's nurse.

" Who are they and what are they doing here?" Gwen asked warily, eyeing Nori's troops.

" They are going to dress you," Nori answered as she began pulling out snowy underclothes from the second basket. Gwen began to back into a corner, but Nori stopped her.

" Gwen, they are not going to hurt you. Goodness, it goes beyond me how you can jump onto the back of a troll and be flung through the air, yet show terror at the sign of maids who are simply going to get you dressed," Nori scolded as she dragged Gwen into the middle of the room. 

" How many people know that I did that?" Gwen asked as one of the women began winding a long silk cloth around her upper body.

" Just about all the people in Gondor. Hold still," Nori ordered as she began to button a white underskirt onto Gwen's waist.

" ALL of Gondor?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide.

" Is there an echo in here? Yes, all of Gondor. You saved the King, for goodness sake! You are a hero!" Nori exclaimed. Gwen remained silent_. I hadn't intended on saving the KING, just Aragorn. But then, he is the king now, so in a round about way, I saved the King of Gondor_, she thought as the women continued clothing her. They finished shortly. Gwen looked at herself in the mirror. They had bound her ribs tightly with the silk cloth so they wouldn't hurt. All she was basically wearing were some stockings and some underskirts.

" I fail to see how this makes me look like a lady," Gwen remarked.

" You silly girl, that is only the underwear. This will make you look like a lady," Nori said as she pulled a dress out of the basket. Gwen turned to look at the dress, and drew her breath in. It was a beautiful crimson color with wide sleeves from the elbows down. The skirt fanned out from the slender bodice and flowed like a red waterfall to the floor. Delicate gold embroidery lined the waist band, the area just above her elbows were all the flowing cloth began, and at the neck line, which was off the shoulder. Gwen reached her hand out to touch shimmery cloth, and found that it was a light - weight crushed velvet and very soft.

" Oh, stop gaping at it and let me put it on you!" Nori said, excited to see Gwen in such a beautiful thing. Nori gently pulled the dress over her head and began to button the back of it with tiny ruby colored buttons. Gwen turned and looked in the mirror, then smiled with happiness. She had never looked or felt so beautiful!

" Thank you Nori!" she squealed as she threw her arms around the woman, who hugged her back. Nori handed her some shoes that resembled slippers. Gwen pulled them on.

" Go on, now, go get your elf!" Nori said, pushing her out the door.

" How many people know about him?" Gwen asked nervously.

" Oh, all of Gondor," Nori answered simply. Gwen's eyes widened in embarrassment. Nori winked at her, then walked down the hall. Gwen turned to follow.

" Gwen!" a woman's voice yelled from down the hall. Gwen turned to see Eowyn walking towards her.

" Eowyn!" she cried out as the woman drew closer. The two friends embraced gently.

" I have been trying to see you for the last three days, but your nurse wouldn't let me!" Eowyn exclaimed, holding both of Gwen's hands.

" Eowyn, you look lovely! And so healthy!" Gwen laughed happily.

" Look at you! I don't think I have ever seen you in a dress, let alone one as beautiful as this!" Eowyn said excitedly. They linked arms and walked slowly down the hall.

" So, what is this I hear about you and a certain Captain of the Guard?" Gwen asked, her eyebrow arched. Eowyn blushed.

" I was very upset and had the Warden take me to see the Steward, who turned out to be the Captain, Faramir. He understood how upset I was, so we began to spend long hours together. We fell in love, and are to be married!" Eowyn said happily. Gwen laughed, and Eowyn joined her.

" What about you and Maedron?" Eowyn asked.

" Maedron - oh, Frodo and Sam! How are they? I must go see them!" Gwen cried as she turned in a confused circle.

" That way. Come, I will walk with you," Eowyn said as she began leading Gwen down the hall. They had just reached the door when a man called Eowyn's name. Eowyn turned.

" Faramir!" she said happily as she walked into his arms. He embraced her, then turned to Gwen.

" This is Gwen," said Eowyn. Faramir's eyes lit up in surprise.

" So you are the one who saved the King? I am honored to meet you," he said, bowing slightly to her. Gwen smiled, not knowing what to say.

" Now, if you will excuse us, I need to talk with Eowyn," he said. Gwen nodded and smiled at Eowyn.

" I will see you later, Gwen," she said as they walked down the hall. Gwen watched them go, then knocked on the door. Pippin opened it.

" Oh, aye, it's Gwen! Gwen's here!" he cried happily as he led her into the room. She laughed as she entered. All the others were already inside.

" Frodo!" she said when she saw the hobbit.

" Gwen! Wonderful!" he exclaimed as she ran over to him and gave him a hug.

" Eh! What about me?" Sam asked from behind her. Gwen whirled around and hugged Sam, her blue eyes merry.

" We're all together again," she observed. Aragorn nodded in agreement. 

" I'm hungry," remarked Pippin, sending the others into fits of laughter again. Gwen seated herself on the bed as Frodo began to tell of their journey through Mordor.

Later that evening, after all the stories had been told, Gwen wandered out onto one of the terraces that overlooked the gardens. _It's all over. The battle for Middle Earth is won_, she thought.

" Gwen," said Maedron as he walked up behind her. She turned and faced him.

" Maedron, I was just about to go looking for you," she said as he neared her. He walked up next to her and rested his elbows on the balcony railing. After a moment, he looked at her.

" You are beautiful, Gwen," he said softly. She smiled at the simple remark.

" It's just the dress," she said.

" No, you are beautiful in battle, when we are camping, everywhere. You don't need a dress to be beautiful," he continued, looking at her. She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.

" Where are you going to go, now that it is finished?" he asked her. Gwen started to speak, then stopped._ Where am I going to go,_ she thought.

" I don't know," she said after a moment.

" Back to your home?" he asked. Gwen drew her breath in sharply. Galadriel's words came back to her again, _it is good to cry, just do not cry alone._

" My home is gone," she said, barely audible.

" All your family has sailed away?" Maedron asked.

" No, it is gone, " she said, then braced herself to continue. " I went out for a ride one day because I was upset. During the time I was gone, orcs attacked my home, killing everyone and burning everything. We had no defense because my father kept sending our army out to fight the orcs, so our army eventually shrank to one troop. We lived in a crater, and there was no way out except through the main gate. I got back, and found all I had ever known was gone, so I went to Rivendell after I found a summons in my father's hand. And now I am here," she finished, tears falling down her face. Maedron looked at her, a deep sadness welling up inside his heart. Gwen struggled to keep from sobbing, but the pain in her ribs didn't let her keep it inside. Maedron wrapped his arms around her as she cried, a few tears trickling down his own face. They held each other for a long time. When Gwen's tears finally ran out, it was growing late.

" I don't know where I am going to go," she muttered.

" Gwen, I love you," Maedron said, the short statement saying everything he had kept inside. Gwen pulled her head up and looked into his eyes. 

" I love you too, Maedron," she said breathlessly, meaning every word. He slid his hand behind her head, then brought his lips down and kissed her on the mouth. 

" Come with me, to the Grey Havens and across the sea," he said after he pulled away.

" Anywhere you want to take me," she said, brimming over with love and happiness. He kissed her again as the sun set.

On a terrace a little ways over, Merry and Pippin sat, smoking their pipes, watching the two elves.

" Ahh, love," sighed Pippin. Merry looked at Pippin like he had lost his mind.

" Since when did you start thinking about something other than your stomach?" Merry asked.

" Oh, come on, Merry. You can't tell me you haven't thought of Estella Bolger for one second on this entire journey," Pippin said, slightly annoyed at his friend's remark.

" Who?" Merry asked, feigning ignorance.

" Estella Bolger, the girl you have had your eye on for goodness knows how long, but have been to afraid to tell her how you feel," Pippin said, watching Merry's face turn red.

" I have a better chance with her than you've got with Diamond," Merry said breezily.

" You do not!" Pippin spluttered indignantly.

" I'll bet I can win Estella's love quicker than you can win Diamond's," Merry said.

" Now what makes you so sure about that?" Pippin asked. Merry pulled his pipe out of his mouth. 

" I am taller than you," he replied jauntily.

" Now wait just a minute!" Pippin cried. The two hobbits went on in this fashion until it was time for dinner.

Thus the Battle for Middle Earth ended and Aragorn became King of Gondor. He married Arwen, daughter of Elrond, his true love. Eowyn and Faramir were also married, uniting the two Kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor. The four hobbits went back to the Shire, and Sam married Rosie Cotton. Later on, Frodo went over the sea and into the Undying Lands with Bilbo, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Gandalf. As for Gwen and Maedron, they were married and also crossed the sea into the Undying Lands, where they lived together forever.

THE END (or is it?) 

I figured it would be best to end there. I don't know why, but you all know what happens anyway, at least those of you who have seen the movies or read the books. For those of you who haven't, go do so now!

OHMIGOSH!!!! It's OVER!! I can hardly believe it! SOB!!! I want to thank my lovely reviewers for reviewing! You all made me so happy! Keep checking up on me for a new fic. But not for a while because I started my own story over at fictionpress.net, so if you liked this one, go read that one! My name is the same, sandlover, so go type that into the search over there as soon as you finish reading here! 

Lot's o' love,

Sandlover 


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